Sekirei - Everything in these hands
by MashiroNguyen
Summary: [Beta-ed] Alternative Universe! A different Minato who was raised to be as strong-willed as his mother expected him to be, maybe even more. An older, mature Minato with a promise to a fleeting wind. How will this affect the Sekirei Plan ? Harem ensured. #03 Kazehana, #22 Kochou and #7 Akitsu twins and more !
1. Chapter 00 - Prologue

**Sekirei - Everything in these hands**

 **Summary:** A different Minato who was raised to be as strong-willed as his mother expected him to be, maybe even more. How will this affect his mind when he is unable to achieve his goal of getting into Toudai, twice? How will this affect the Sekirei Plan?

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Sekirei manga nor any of its creative content. This is purely made from my passion and love for the story and the characters. All music references belong to their respective performer, creator, musician studio, I made no profit from them.

"Talking"

 _This for Thinking, Flashback, Transmission or Whispering"_

 **"Summon/Mind talking, SFX"**

* * *

 **Author's foreword:**

First, I like to apologize to my followed/favorite readers. It's been 2 years since my last update and the first thing I do is start another story. Absurd, I know. I have no excuses other than life, work and family. A lot happens.

I just hope that you enjoy this story and do look forward to updates on the rest of my story. I hope I achieve a monthly update.

Now onto the story, first thing I want to make clear that this will be an Alternate Universe story aka AU. Sahashi Minato was originally born in 2001, which is 2 years later from when Minaka and Takami discovered the Kamikura Island and ultimately the alien ship (1999). His sister Yukari is one year younger than him btw.

I want to change this by making him 7 years older. Which will make him 26 years old at the time of the Sekirei Plan. His date of birth will be September 15th 1993 if you want to be sure. An adult Minato, older than Kaoru Seo by a year. This difference will affect a lot of things like his behaviours towards others as well as his actions on many events.

Now then onto the story. Or to be exact, the prologue of the story.

* * *

 **Prologue - A Man's Woe**

It was the day that the second cherry blossom were flowering.

His eyes scanned the column of numbers on the board, back and forth across the numbers where his suppose to be. But no matter how hard and how many times he looked... His numbers were not here. None to be found.

Many were like him, disappointed and walking away with dejected looks on their faces. A few shouted in glee, basking in their own success, luck and happiness, ignorant of others' jealousy.

Sahashi Minato just stood there, looking up at the board but no longer focus at any numbers on it. He was in shock, disbelief. Twice he had failed. The first time he could accept it. He just graduated from high school with top scores. His knowledge wasn't prepared. So he spent another year focusing on his studies, resulting in him being able to recognize _all_ of the questions on the exam sheet.

He never called himself a genius, but never denied it when others do. They were right.

But then... How?

 _"How did this happen to me?"_

Confusion replaced shock and next came anger. He rushed into the University building.

* * *

Sahashi Takami is, without a doubt, a beauty, beautiful as any woman could be in her late thirties. But with her aloof expression, sharp eyes and stern attitude, not many were willing to interact with her outside of duty. One person though...

She was a busy woman. So busy that the building where she worked was also her home. How long it was since she the last time she been home with her children ? Stuck in an island in the middle of nowhere, constantly under the threat of being attacked by the whole world. Surrounded by nothing but crazy scientists, with her being one of them.

"Takami-kun! I've come to-"

 **BAM!**

"Too loud! We're in a middle of an adjusting here so act your age!"

The man hugged his face in pain after receiving a clipboard right to the nose. The woman's aim kept getting better and better by the day. That damaged nose belonged to the famous CEO of Mid Bio Informatics conglomerate (and its original founder), Minaka Hiroto. "The super genius that existed once in a thousand years" they called him. He who discovered and created many technological wonders which changed the nation and the world, from medicine to modern technology and, most importantly, new sources of clean energy to replace fossil ones.

This made him enemy of many people, even companies and nations.

But he was not perfect. He was a very weird man whose antics were included in his employees' contracts. They were actually compensated for enduring him and his nonsense.

"You're no fun. Being too serious is hazardous. Am I right, #88 ?"

"You're right professor!" the little brown-haired girl sitting on the table answered immediately, her eyes sparkling.

"That's a good girl!"

He patted her head fondly which the girl enjoyed. Takami scowled but didn't stop him. In a flash she saw Yukari, her daughter, instead of #88 Musubi. But she quickly shook the vision off. She could never condemn her children to this... this lunatic. They wouldn't be able to handle the same, not to mention the pressure.

Not even when said man begged her to let him in on her family, even to this day.

Her thoughts were cut off by a low buzz in her pocket. Takami excused herself to take the call in the hallway. She recognized the caller as one of her 'acquaintances' in Tokyo University... She had a bad feeling about this. She was expecting a call from her son, not this.

"What is it?"

 _"The boy knew. He just made a mess of my office."_

Her eyes shot wide in surprise.

"What do you mean? What happened ?"

 _"Your son knew we adjusted his result. He bang in here and demanded we gave him his answer sheets back! When we refuse he flipped the table! He_ _ **flipped.**_ _The fucking table over!"_

The image of an angry Minato came to her mind. Her usually calm, gentle and reasonable son? She couldn't fathom it.

 _"We needed three security guards to drag him out. It wasn't peaceful or pretty, Sahashi-san."_

"How long ago was this?"

 _"An hour ago! I'll treat it as another case of outburst rage and sweep it under the rug, this time only. I hope you know what that means."_

" ... I see. He won't be troubling you again, Matsumoto-san. I'm sorry."

She could hear a snort from the other line.

 _"Give and take, Sahashi-san, give and take. I already said I won't ask why. But I'll tell you this: the kid got an almost perfect score."_

If the man wanted to annoy her, he succeeded.

"Thank you. I have something to do. Good day."

Right after disconnecting from the current line, she dialed a quick number on her phone. It rang many times without anyone picking up, but she didn't dare to cut it off, expecting her son to pick up.

He did on the last note.

" Minato where-"

 _" Hey Mom~"_

Just like that, the heat in her voice froze over, replaced with shock and disbelief.

"Minato! Are you drunk?!"

 _"I... I guess I am! And you're right, Mom."_ He paused, likely to take another drink. _"It felt bad to be drunk. It doesn't make me feel any better. AT! ALL!"_

She should be angry like any mother should. But she couldn't. Not after what she did to him. All that she did to keep him away from Shinto Teito, away from the Sekirei Plan which would inevitably occurs a few years from now, she wanted him to make a life somewhere else. Somewhere safer.

 _"Mom. Do you-ahh- do you have any enemy? While working for MBI?"_

Her eyes widened. "How do you know I work for MBI ? What do you mean 'enemy'?!"

 _"Mom! You're, what? The smartest doctor I ever know. Where else would you work?!"_ Another pause accompanied by a big swallow sound. _"It's either Hiyamakai Enterprises or MBI! And the CEO of Hiyamakai is a... eh what was that word again?"_

Before Takami could ask where and who he is with, Minato continued.

 _"-a wretched bastard that get drunk on his patients' blood and tears! Good one, by the way."_

She heard the soft clink of glasses on the other end.

 _"Mom... I don't blame you, you know. This- This whole mess! It's utterly my fault. I was so stupid, utterly confident that I would not mess up."_

There was nothing she could do but listen. She could hear the sobbing in her son's voice. He was crying. The last time he cried was when his cat was run over by a taxi. He was only eight then. Something he couldn't help but still cried over it... Just like now.

 _"I never thought about others messing it up for me, or how helpless I am from keeping it from happening, or fixing it up."_

She listened enough. Her son was making her worry.

"Minato, listen. You can try another year in another place. I'll-"

 _"NO! I won't let another year go to waste so some assholes could mess it up again! And don't you dare quit your job, Mom!"_

Her chest tightened with all the guilt and the sorrow she caused to her own son. It felt heavier and harder for her to breathe as she listen.

 _"You're a successful doctor, Mom. You save people. Your work is more important than-than... all this."_

"Listen to me, Minato-"

 _"Mom! Let me talk... Please."_ As she stayed quiet, her son kept on. _"I will not... I will not be going to university."_

" Minato ! Don't you da-"

 _"I dare!"_

Her sorrow immediately disappeared upon hearing those words, replaced with anger. Anger directed at herself for letting this happen. She didn't know how dedicated her son was to his study. She didn't believe it when he called her and boasted about scoring perfect marks, with another answer sheet taken from the exam to prove it.

She didn't expect it to impact her son this much.

"Minato don't do this. Think about your life. Without recognition and education, the society-"

 _"The society can go fuck itself, mom! I don't need to go to college or university to learn mechanical! Books exist for a reason!"_

 _" And the internet,"_ a woman's voice chimed in from the other end.

 _"And the internet! And the only recognition I need is... from you, Mom. You-you gave me all this and I can't even..."_

The rest were incoherent able as she heard the sobbing come from the phone, mixing with voices in the background.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but Takami steeled herself. Time and place, especially not at her work place. Then there was the reason why this whole thing started. Her son needed to be out of Shinto Teito, at least for the next ten years if not to never set foot here again.

"Minato, go home, back to your grandmother. We'll plan this out when I meet you next month."

 _" ... I'm not leaving, mom. I'll be starting my life here in Tokyo... or whatever it's called now."_

"Minato, go back! You have no reason to be here anymore!"

Now she was desperate. After all she done and caused to her son, he still want to stay?!

 _"I'll make my own reasons!_ " he responded hotly.

"If you do so, you're on your own! I won't be supporting you anymore!"

It was a low blow but what else could she do at this point, hire some men to muscle her son out of town? With the way he acted at the university, it would result in him hurting himself or worse. But then, as if he'd stumbled upon an endless supply of monkey wrenches, he answered.

 _"It's okay, Mom. You've done... enough. You know, I do have quite a sum left from what you gave me and what I gained from being a handyman. Save it. For Yukari. For when she wants to go to university... And I hope you take care of whatever enemy you make so they wouldn't be able to harm her when the time comes."_

That was it, the absolute defense her son put up. There's no other words she could use to convince him to get out of Shinto Teito without being a bad mother... Who was she kidding? She already is a bad mother. She just didn't show it off.

 _"I love you, Mom. I promise I won't be a burden to anyone. I promise. I'll see you... during New Year? At home?"_

" ... Yes, I won't miss it. Take care, Minato. And, I'm sorry."

She could hear him sniffle from the other end.

 _"Me too, Mom. Me too."_

The line went dead as her son hung up. Takami looked at the white ceiling and let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Pocketing the phone, she turned to begin walking back.

Only to come face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

But instead of his usual conceited smile and crazy eyes. Minaka has a serious and forlorn look then. She didn't need to ask to know that he heard the whole thing. At least he wasn't being a dick about it. It was still his son.

Oh how wrong she was.

"Don't you know, Takami-kun? You can't change fate."

Her knuckles cracked and gradually went white under pressure.

"But I'm sorry that it happened like this."

Silence drifted by; no other words were exchanged. Takami released her fist and went back to the lab. There was still work to be done and damned herself if she messed it up again. Not on her own son and especially not on the innocent Sekirei.

* * *

After he got thrown out of the University grounds, Minato dragged himself back to the street, repeating why and why, finally come to the conclusion that his mother made some enemy, or her company did. They couldn't harm her in any way, so they targeted him instead.

Sounded far fetched at first but there were no other explanations.

On his way, he overheard some yelling in an alley. Some guy in a suit was... "harassing" would be the right term. He was harassing a woman, yelling obscenities at her. He turned to the woman and his mind shorted out for a moment. Such revealing clothes. Some would scream "LEWD", but he found it attractive. Not to mention it fit the woman nicely, showing her delicious-looking cleavage and belly. Also those shapely legs of hers...

 _No no not the right time, nor place._

Shaking himself back to reality, Minato could vaguely make out what happened. The man was calling her names for being a pricey bitch who wouldn't give him a price and chose to insult him instead. So this was _that_ kind of situation. Nevertheless...

* * *

Today was an eventful day for Sekirei #03 Kazehana.

It was her first visit to Tokyo, now named Shinto Teito, after two years. The trip to her favorite bar was ruined by some rich-looking snob, who mistook her for an escort girl or worse. She flipped him the hand and walked away, only for him to block her way and started calling her degrading names.

Oh, the urge to blow this... _thing_ to a stain on the wall was huge. But the headache that would undoubtedly come next prevented that from happening. Kazehana swore to herself to use the front door to avoid this kind of trouble in the future. Landing in a back alley instead of walking a few meters wasn't worth this at all.

"Hey."

Both her and the rude man turned around and was stunned by what they saw.

"She said no."

Another man stood there, dressed in a pair of casual jeans, white undershirt and brown thick warm coat. He was holding the tin trash can high above him before slamming down into the other man's head. The snob yelped in fear before collapsing below the trash can, groaning in half-conscious pain. Such light, insignificant thing, but when filled with trash could do a lot of damage. Oh, the irony of this.

"So beat it."

So much hostility in his voice. Her eyes widened and her cheeks went flush.

"Oh my."

Kazehana couldn't help exclaim when she saw her 'savior'. At first glance, she saw that person but younger with a stoic expression. Almost alike save the conceited, knowing look and the dramatic posture. Could it be?

"Nee-san, we better go."

As soon as he said those words, the bar's back door opened and a man came out, most likely the bouncer. Before she could react, her black-haired patron took hold of her hand and hauled her away from the alley. They ran into the main street, mixed in with the crowd before stopping a few buildings away from their original position.

"That's far enough I think. You okay, nee-san?"

"Ufufu, I'm fine. Thank you. You can let go now."

"What ? Ah oh." He finally realized his hand was still holding her own. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. Thanks again. You saved me a lot of trouble."

The young man nodded, trying his best to smile at her, but he couldn't. So he nodded at her before turning away, eyes filled with sadness and sorrow. Kazehana decided that leaving a man like this after he'd just helped her simply wouldn't do.

She caught his sleeve with a smile, asking to repay him. It would be bad manners to let him get away, she almost purred.

For Minato, he thought her repayment was something along 'that kind' of thing which involved a hotel room and a bed so he immediately refused. Totally not in the mood or in right mind for that kind of thing. But when she insisted, he relented.

" ... Could you join me for some drinks ?" he suggested, wanting some company for the night, for his psyche's sake.

To his surprise, she smiled, with the world's most kissable pair of ruby lips. "You read my mind."

* * *

He took her to an oden cart, something she didn't expect. Well, not like she was expecting a high-grade bar anyway. He didn't dress like he had that much to spend. Beside, the foods and drink were good. The owner and the young man knew each other well. He was a regular.

They had some oden with light toppings and the sake came next. After half a bottle...

"I failed the exam," he began. "Twice. And despite knowing I have the highest score there is. There isn't a single damn thing I can do about it."

The owner stayed silent, letting the young man vent out his frustration. It wasn't his first time listening to his customers about their problems. But this time, he could get the whole story. Just a mere week ago, the same young man came visit his cart for a celebration, saying how high he had scored, calling to tell his mother about it.

The boy was something of a prodigy, always getting top marks from Elementary to High School. The first time he failed, Minato didn't complain to anyone else, only blaming himself for not prepared enough. The second time though...

"What should I do now?" said Minato after downing his fourth shot. "I don't think I can stay a ronin anymore."

After hearing him vent everything, Kazehana could sympathize with the young man. Years of traveling the world taught her that sometimes, brute strength and violence couldn't resolve everything. The world worked in a more complex way, more complicated than just to smash a few heads to get your way. Unless you were Karasuba, of course.

This child... this young man next to her was in a bind. He, who was denied his dream and unable to do anything about it. But instead of blaming his mother or himself once more, he simply felt lost and helpless.

Kazehana finally spoke. "There's more than one way to live, you know."

"... Wha?"

"I said you don't need to go to college or any institute to chase your dreams."

Minato is a bit swayed from the alcohol's influence but he could still listen to her clearly. A thought ran through his mind. But before he could finish it.

" You must be thinking, 'This girl doesn't understands how society works,' right?"

" Uhhh..." With a stupefied look stuck on his face, Minato didn't know how to reply to the beautiful woman's accusation.

"It's alright. I get that a lot." Didn't mean she doesn't take offense to that. "I travel a lot Minato-kun. Can I call you that? Anyway, young men these days just forget the fact that going to college doesn't give them a ticket to a successful life. It only gave them the knowledge, which they can get from other sources, and some leverage in a letter of recommendation. That one's a gamble, at best."

"... Mom raised me and Yukari, my little sister, alone." Minato took a swipe at his shot before continuing. " She wasn't there with us most of the time. Grandmother looked after us. But mom made sure we are provided for. The rare occasions when she visit, she was sure to make up for all the time that lost being busy with her job. I knew next to none about her choice of profession before stumbling upon a stack of worn down medical degrees, all from Toudai. She came to me as a strong, strict and independent. Intimidating even. But also kind and loving. Never once I see her looking unsecured or worry… I wanted to be like her."

" Wanted?" Kazehana noticed and questioned his choice of phrasing.

The young man chuckled bitterly. "Every child want to be what it admires. It's the inspiration, the strongest motivation there is."

"Then, Minato-kun..."

Kazehana moved her body closer to him, pressing her buxom bust against his arm. To her surprise, it was firm to her touch despite his lithe form. If he was blushing, she couldn't tell because his face was already red from the sake.

She moved her mouth just up past his neck, so her whisper tickled his ear. "What do _you_ want now?"

Her question was like a key which open a door that was never touched, till now. It released dozen of questions in Minato's mind... Even during his high school days, he never spent much time for himself. Never had any friends, never sought them out. The bullies never got their way with him either. The fights he got in, to defend himself, all ended with both sides bloodied and neither of them wanting to do it again.

Thus, no one wanted to have anything to do with him. He wasn't worth it, they said.

"I-I want..."

He remembered looking at girls from afar, rejecting a girl's confession due to his inability to make sure she would enjoy his time with her. Realizing he, being a child, could not have anything to call his own nor do anything about his life...

At this point Minato started crying. He finally knew how childish he'd been all this time, even past the age of eighteen. What kind of genius was he?

Kazehana gently stroked his shoulder. "Thaaat's it," she cooed gently. "Sob it all out, Minato-kun."

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table before sitting straight up and yelling out loud.

"I WANT TO LIVE MY OWN LIFE! I WANT TO BUY MY OWN FUCKING PLACE! I WANT TO FALL IN LOVE LIKE A HIGHSCHOOL KID! GODS DAMN IT ALL, WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH MY LIFE?! "

"Hey, shut up out there!" some old man complained.

"SCREW YOU! SHUT YOURSELF IN A HOLE AND DIE!"

Then Minato collapsed on the table once more with his face resting against his hands, still crying softly. The man in the house just grumbled about being drunk and pathetic before closing the window.

"Sometimes," the oden owner spoke to him, "having a successful career don't equal a happy life. I've seen and heard a lot about it."

The man pour himself a cup and drank it in one gulp.

"Take me, for instance. Never finished high school. Ran away with a girl from my hometown here, living the big city dream life. My wife got pregnant and went back to her parents. I never stopped her; we both knew it was the best for the baby. I don't like it. But sometime a man has to make the hard decision, for what's best for his family. I lived here alone, with this oden cart, in a crappy house for the longest time."

At this point, he smiled warmly.

"That is till the day a young girl come to my cart and ask me if I'm her father. Showed me a picture of her mother, my wife. Her mother died sometime later after her birth. She was weak and the hospital wasn't up to par like it is now. Days and nights I wonder what would've happened if I kept her by my side... Then again those are just ifs. Nothing's certain. Well, more certain than the fact that I have a lovely daughter who attends college here and visits me occasionally."

Kazehana couldn't help but gush at the story while Minato listened attentively.

"Son, there are misfortunes and mistakes at every step we take in life. The important thing is you learn to pick up the pieces of happiness you have and kept 'em close to your chest. The past is there for us to learn, not dwell on. Tomorrow is yet to come. Only the present matters. So ask yourself this: do you want to live in fear of failure for others sake? Or do you want to live for yourself?"

"You never know, Minato-chan." Kazehana slowly intertwined her fingers with his, whispered softly into his ear. "You might pick up something without realizing it."

Their gaze locked into each other as Minato pondered over her words and the owner's. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket buzzed lightly. Reading the caller's ID, Minato gulped, swallowing his nervousness. Finally, he opened the phone and sighed.

 _" Hey mom~"_

* * *

Minato flipped his phone closed and let out a sigh, locked in deep thought. That is, until he was interrupted by his own burp. He drank a lot, that was to be expected, but that didn't mean he is going to stop now. Today, Sahashi Minato would drink himself to oblivion.

"Ossan! Another bottle of that sake! Gimme more eggs and beef tendons, too!"

"Yes yes, coming right up."

The old man attended to his customer, serving the oden to the poor young man who just had an emotional breakdown, and from what he heard, Minato would be a regular for years to come.

"You'll be fine, Minato-kun," Kazehana spoke from his side. She heard the whole conversation and her hearing picked up the voice of his mother. She recognized that voice annywhere. She knew what was going on now.

" _Oh Takami, you were so desperate to protect your kin from his plan that you decided to crush your own son's dream? Fate is a bitch._ "

Such a guilty pleasure. Now that she look at him closely, Kazehana found Minato attractive. He had his father's look but inherited the expression of his mother. His personality? She couldn't be sure at the moment. The young man just went through some drastic change in a matter of hours. She could feel her stomach flutter, watching him laugh and cry at the same time, hearing him exclaim all the things he would do starting tomorrow.

It was like watching a baby bird takes flight for the first time in its short, sheltered life. It felt... _wonderful_ to be near him. The warmth of his arm against her body was just a bonus.

They spent a few hours at the oden cart, more customers joined them as the night went by. Both Kazehana and Minato leaned on each other as they walked back to Minato's apartment, singing an abridged version of a song that was popular for parties. They tumbled into his room, barely avoiding collapsing on his pet cat. Both were snickering while removing their shoes and heels.

Kazehana was intoxicated, not just from being drunk. She was reacting. She was reacting _hard_. She felt so light headed. She heard him say something while laying out the futon. It should've alarmed her, what was about happen, but she didn't care. When he carried her over, Kazehana suddenly wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him down with her head framed between his hands and their lips inches away from each other. They could feel each other's breaths, the sweet smell of alcohol lingering, dulling their reason and doubts.

Minato lowered himself and Kazehana closed her eyes, waiting for it. She could feel his breath washing against her face, growing stronger as he grew nearer, her own breathing heavy as she lustfully pined for what was about to happen.

He kissed her softly... on the cheek.

 _"No no no, not again!"_

As if he could see the pain and dejected look on her face, Minato smiled sadly and explained.

"Sorry. I knew you were expecting more... We were both expecting more. But I don't want this to be 'just a kiss' and I don't think I'm ready for more... Not at this state."

He lowered himself, putting his face on the crook of her neck and breath in her smell, deeply. The light sweet smell of cherry tingled his nose. Minato wanted to feel more than just her scent. He longed to taste her, intimately, the first woman he ever touched. But, he held back.

"I am sure you heard this a lot, but... you're a wonderful woman, nee-san. So wonderful that I can't stand the thought of letting this be just a fling. Oh, what am I even saying? I'm still a virgin."

He chuckled. She could feel it was in pity of himself.

"All the more reason to make this more than just… just that."

Kazehana listened to him and felt her heart flatline. Just as before, her dreams of an Ashikabi were crushed before her eyes. Yet, strangely, at the same time… She felt elated. He wanted more. A relationship. He wanted love in human's way.

But he wasn't ready for it, and she didn't know of anyway to make him change his mind. He was still insecure about his life and she understood. Clearly, how it felt when he'd just found his way after being lost, there was no sense in dragging others along, when not even himself felt safe in the brave new world.

Kazehana realized how hasty she'd become herself. It wasn't just the alcohol acting nor her reacting.

They weren't ready, then. But maybe...

"Minato."

She called his name without the honorific. The young man pushed himself off her, only to have her push him aside, switching positions with her now on top. She was straddling him, Minato's shirt got pushed up, and her thighs came in contact with his stomach. He could feel the soft, cool, silky skin of hers, while Kazehana marveled at how hot and warm his body was against her cold flesh.

She leaned down, locking her eyes with his; her hands came up caressing his face.

"In the near future, when you stand firm on your own and we meet again... Are you willing to give us chance? Will you still feel the same?"

Minato's mind went overdrive at what he just heard. Is she fooling with him ? She must be, he suspected what kind of work she involved with but maybe that is why... That is why she is so desperate to look for love ? The kind of love he would undoubtedly give, wholeheartedly. Even willing to wait ?

" I will. I definitely will. Would you ?"

A promise without time given... What was he thinking?

But the smile she gave him answered it all. She kissed him, on his forehead. Her lips, so soft and warm against his skin. Then she rested her body on him and, like he had, put her face in the crook of his neck.

"Forever and ever," she whispered and fell asleep, peacefully.

Minato smiled, for the first time that day. His arms wrapped around the woman, hugging her close to him.

"Forever and ever."

* * *

Kazehana swept through the gate of Maison Izumo, one hand holding her hair in place as a breeze brushed through. Sakura petals fluttered with the wind. It was a beautiful image, of a woman who had finally found love, after a long time searching.

"Ah Kazehana-chan." A male voice rang from the patio of the Inn. "You look happy. Did something good happen?"

"Takehito-san… I finally found true love!" She suddenly lost her mature semblance; her eyes sparkled with a dreamy expression.

"Really now! What is he like? How did you meet?"

"A young man who was denied a dream that never was his to begin with, he came across a lady in distress and in return, she spend a passionate night with him. Together they helped the man find himself and his way of life. Then-"

" Kazehana-chan." The silver haired man cut in, smirking at her. "You aren't winged."

"Mou… But that might be the for the best. We made a promise, you see." With a hopeful look in the sky, she smiled before continuing. "When I come back from a long trip and he finally has a life to call his own, we'll be truly together. Bound by true love. Forever and ever."

Takehito looked at her and couldn't help but smile softly, happy to see that Kazehana finally got a chance to find love and be free. If only he could stop Minaka's plan… But without a replacement, there was nothing he could do.

"Ara, Kazehana, back for a visit? Do you want to stay for lunch?"

Miya stepped out from inside the house, dressed in her usual hakama set.

Hearing that, Kazehana flinched and took a step back, warily.

"Miya?! Actually I was about to leave-"

"Kazehana-chan, you are not leaving me to suffer alone, do you?" Despite saying this in a friendly manner, the hannya mask behind the man was coercing her into staying.

"Mou Takehito-san, stop teasing her." His wife pouted. "I didn't endure the shame from studying under that trash just to poison others. With that said, I hope you'll be staying for a bit, Ka - ze - ha - na."

"Two of them! There are two of them!"

* * *

Minato, no longer an examinee, had to vacate his current room for another person. He informed the landlord the very next morning and was given his deposit back. He got till the end of month to find a new place.

It was unusual to be given your deposit back before moving out. But due to his honesty and usefulness around the place, the landlord did so. Though, not without berating him for his failure and giving up like that. The man had an image to uphold, after all.

It was hard to find a place to without a guarantor and a stable income. Places that didn't need such thing weren't safe or comfortable to live in. Nor did they accept pets, and Minato refused to leave his cat back home again.

Yukari and grandma just didn't have the skill for such delicate task.

One week after searching hopelessly in the northern part of the city, Minato sighed dejectedly while walking through a beautiful traditional house.

"I bet it'd be great to live in such a nice place," he said wishfully.

While having such thoughts, Minato walked by the house's entrance and then its last meter of fencing. His eyes caught a sign with a price on it. Faster than he thought he could move, Minato jumped in front of the sign and read the words on it.

The young man could feel his stomach dance as a happy smile bloomed on his face.

Ripping the piece of paper from the fence, Minato ran through the entrance to knock on the main door. Truthfully, he was banging instead of knocking due to his excitement.

* * *

"So you were a ronin and currently have no guarantor, not even a stable income… Sahashi-san, I don't think-"

The landlord, Takehito-san, sat at the table along with his wife. On the other side was Minato, suffering under the pressure of their judging gaze. They were a happily married couple, newlyweds even. It was understandable if they were wary of having an unknown young man like him living under their roof.

"Please let me have the room! I can pay half a year of rent in advance or as a deposit!" So desperate and in fear of being rejected, Minato pulled back from his seat and bowed to them, his head touching the tatami mat. "It's all I got from working part-time as a handyman and mechanic. I will start working full time as soon as possible. I even promise to perform maintain on the building at your request! So please-!"

Then he just stayed like that without looking up. Meanwhile, Takehito and Miya were shocked at his humble and desperate act.

"Please raise your head, Sahashi-san," the older man spoke kindly. "Here in Maison Izumo we believe in helping those in need. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal."

His whole body shook with happiness, eyes wet with tears. Such kindness...

"But there are other, _female_ tenants here," the landlady reminded him, her demure expression hidden behind the sleeve of her hakama. But the the evil visage above was projecting pure terror over him. "I hope you act appropriately while you are staying here."

Minato nodded repeatedly with cold sweat running down his back, experiencing true terror for the first time since as far back as he could remember.

"Welcome," Takehito gave him a warm look and smiled, "to Maison Izumo."

"Um actually, do you mind if I have a cat?"

Miya tilted her head at his question. "… Pardon?"

* * *

Fortunately for Minato, his well-behaved cat was actually a score with the married couple. They didn't need it to catch mice or insects since there were none around, other than mosquitos.

He couldn't imagine why. Scratch that, he knew why! Animal instinct forced those vermin to leave in the face of pure terror, that's why! His lazy cat being a pet suited the landlords's taste well.

Finally settling down, Minato let himself enjoy a moment of peace. Sitting on the patio of his new home, fiddling with the ribbon tied around his neck, his thought drifted to a particular woman.

That night, were it like a dream if not for the small memento he was wearing. He never got her name. Because at that time, the only thing that mattered was that she was there for him. When no one else was. He would never forget. The touch of her hands, gentle yet almost possessive. Her sweet scent, mixing well the lingered alcohol, exotic, robbing him of his senses.

Part of him regretted the decision he made.

"Then again, Yukari always call me an idiot… It couldn't be helped."

"Sahashi-san, would you mind serving the table for me?" Miya's voice called out from inside the house. "Maa, Takehito-san is so lazy. It helps to have a reliable man in the house."

"That's cruel, Miya-chan!" shouted her husband.

"I'll be right there, Miya-sama!"

With that, Minato retreated back in the house, just as a whole cherry blossom came fluttering to the cushion he sat on just a moment ago. His cat trotted over and replaced him on the soft seat, barely avoiding crushing the flower, which rarely fell without scattering to pieces. Such a calming image.

One might assume it was an omen of a future yet to come.

* * *

 **#Author's note:** Now ask away. It's Alternate Universe so expect a lot of changes though. Also Yukari is 8 years younger than Minato in this story, just so you know.


	2. Chapter 01 - Everyday At Maison Izumo

**Sekirei - Everything in these hands**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Sekirei manga nor any of its creative content. This is purely made from my passion and love for the story and the characters. All music references belong to their respective performer, creator, musician studio, I made no profit from them.

"Talking"

 _This for Thinking, Flashback, Transmission or Whispering"_

 **"Summon/Mind talking, SFX"**

* * *

 **Check out my Ptreon page (address in profile)**

 **for illustration of an older Minato!**

Music referenced: _Hajimari no Hito [First Love] by Natural High_

* * *

 **Chapter 01 - Everyday at Maison Izumo**

"I'm not going."

His voice came out like that of an automatic answering machine while hands twisting the screws loose, one by one.

" _Minato, I promise you this will be a nice-"_

"No, nay, nein, yada."

Opening the cover of the electric box, steel gray eyes scanned and searched for the faulty part. Once discovered, he wrote it down in his small notebook, then moved to the secondary box inside the house.

" _Minato…"_ Mother switched her tone, warning him that she was getting annoyed.

So was he.

"Mom, I am not going to play meet and greet with some girl I don't know nor am I looking for a relationship at this moment."

He opened the other box by the entrance of the house and found the same burned wire and parts. Same problem, he noticed, and wrote down another line in his notes. Minato went to see his client, the house owner, all the while speaking into the bluetooth clip-on piece on his left ear.

"Besides, I already have someone I'm interested in."

" _Minato! Be reasonable! It's been three years and you don't even know her name._ "

He stopped mid-stride; his grip on the toolbox tightened under the electrical gloves.

"Mom… That's not fair."

Sensing the pain in his voice, the women on the other end let out a sigh.

" _I'm sorry, I was out of line on that... I'm just worrying about you."_

The man sighed, too, removing his worker cap to sweep one hand through his hair, letting some air in to cool his head.

"I know, Mom, I know. Just... Just give me more time, please?"

Knowing not to push her son any further, she conceded.

" _Another thing: Yukari will be coming to Shinto Teito today. Keep your phone near so you can pick her up. I already wired her monthly fees and allowance into your account. Don't spoil her."_

"Why do I get the feeling it's the main reason you called instead of that 'arranged meeting' nonsense?"

He heard her chuckle before the line went off.

"Women." Muttering to himself, Minato resumed walking to the backyard of the house.

The owner, a handsome man in his fifties, was waiting with his wife, a famous model back in her day. He informed them of the problem and what needed to be done.

"Your wires are old and not suitable for the new energy converter you bought, so the stabilizers burned out to protect the whole system. I can replace the stabilizers so you can temporarily have access to the electricity."

Minato listed the details as he looked at the note in his hand. It must have be weird since most people of this day and age use digital notes on their phone or tablet. But habit died hard, bad or no.

"I suggest you contact the original builders right away, so they can come and upgrade the whole wiring of the house. If you agree to the price of fifteen sen, I'll go ahead and do that."

"Why not do the wiring yourself, son? How soon can you start?" The old man took a drag on his Cuban cigar before continuing. "The last time I called one of these faggots it took them three days to come here _and_ another three days to complete the work."

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" his wife added in, frustration clear in her voice. "That time, all we needed was to install the new hot water system!"

"Sir, I'm not licensed for that," he told them honestly.

"Can you do it or not?"

"… Yes I can, with some help. If you want me to do it, I'll ask for fifty man-"

"Fif- _Fifty?!_ You said new stabilizers would go for fifteen sen! Now you want _thirty times_ that?!"

Minato's face remained unfazed as he continued."...half up front so I can buy the materials, the rest after the work is done. If your family can vacate the house by tomorrow morning, I'll come over and start working till afternoon. You can stop by to lock the gate then. Everything will be done by the end of the fourth day. You can move back in on the fifth. I'll provide a five-year insurance service and annual checkup as long as I'm still in business."

The clients exchanged knowing glances between them before the lady went inside the house and come back with a wad of twenty-five ten-thousand yen notes. She gave it to him with a smile.

Minato nodded in thanks, still amazed at how the married couple could do things like that. Just a simple glance and they understood what the other meant or thought, no spoken words exchanged. Just like Miya and Takehito most of the time at home.

"I'll replace the new stabilizers so you can have access to the electricity first then. What time tomorrow should I come back?"

"Eight would be nice," the husband said before turning to his wife. "Honey, do you want to round up for a trip to your mother's? We can bring the kids to the lake by your house."

"Ohh darling, that's wonderful! I'll go pack up right away."

With that said, the beautiful woman disappeared upstairs, leaving both men to sweatdrop at her childlike behaviour.

"Forgive my wife. She's, erm…"

"Happy."

"Yes, happy. I'll give you the spare keys so you can come and go as you wish."

Eyes shot up in surprise; Minato quickly protested with both hands held in front of him. "Sir, that wouldn't be appropriate-"

"It's alright, son. I heard good things about you before I decided to call the number. Besides..." Leaning in close to Minato's face, the man whispered, _"I know where you live."_

Minato's body froze; cold fear ran down his back at the older man's threatening glare. He gulped in fear… Then the owner's expression turned devilish and he laughed out loud.

"They were right, you _are_ fun to tease!"

"Sir…" Tension leaving his body, Minato adjusted his cap and let out a tired sigh.

"Sorry sorry, here are the spare keys. I'm gonna help my wife get packing. God help me if all she packs are clothes instead of the basic necessities! Do your job and remember to lock as you leave, Sahashi-san."

Bowing to the man as he left, Minato went to do his job. He caught the couple bickering and smiled fondly, wondering if he'd be like them in the future. His heart ached at the thought, remembering the conversation he had with his mother.

" _It's been three years and you don't even know her name._ "

A clicking sounded from the lock as the tumblers fell in place. Minato put the chain of keys into his toolbox and mounted his bike. The thirty-year-old Super Cub came to life and sped through the small street of the high-class suburban area.

Despite the bright sun overhead, the air was cold and would get colder as winter came. Embraced the whole city with its chilling breath. The warmth of his breath fogged up his helmet glass, not long enough to distract or hinder his sight, but still a telltale sign of the coldest winter the city going to get.

* * *

Asama Miya was a happy housewife and respectable landlady. She enjoyed cooking and cleaning, things she had no idea about before meeting her husband, Takehito.

Humming in a merry tune, Miya watched over the pot of boiling broth, filled with bones and daikons, feeling grateful to Minato-kun for teaching her the recipe. Seo, despite being the trash he was, knew his stuff well to teach Miya to be a good chef. But all he knew was Japanese.

Minato taught her many Chinese recipes, which the young man had picked up in his hometown from the restaurant next door. Most of the time, it had been where he and his sister ate their meals.

Their grandmother wasn't much of a cook, he'd told her.

Nothing beat having hot and delicious soup in a Winter day. The fact that there were some very _healthy_ ingredients, which could be added in separately to spice up a married couple's bedroom life.

Miya was caught blushing as her thoughts derailed to her loving husband, who just got back from his job at MBI Tower and was resting at the table, watching the news and petting their tenant's cat.

Four Sekireis had been moved from Kamikura a few months ago and Takehito became their adjuster. These ones were his last responsibility before quitting MBI permanently. Minaka promised them that.

Each of these children were special cases. That was why they needed Takehito's delicate touch. A mistake could mess up their entire life. But no matter what, they would be pitted against each other, just for the sake of the Sekirei Plan. Miya's thoughts turned grim at that.

They were quickly cast off her mind as the sound of Minato's classic motorbike reached the house. Soon the young man was spotted pushing the vehicle into the garden. After parking and covering the bike, he went to enter through the front.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Minato-kun." She greeted him from the kitchen.

"Welcome home." Takehito turned to look at his tenant, eyeing the bundle of wires under his arm. "Busy day, Minato?"

"Replacing the wiring for a house. Gonna be busy for the rest of the week. Good pay, though. I got some spare just in case ours needed work." He started sniffing towards the kitchen, his mouth watered. "Is that stock soup I smell?"

"I'm afraid you have to wait until tonight. Seo's coming over." her face scrunched up when she spoke the name. "There are still other things for lunch, though. In the meantime, the bath is yours, Minato-kun. I'll call you when the food's ready."

The young man nodded and went to deposit his things in his room, not realizing the warm gaze Miya was sending at him.

To this day, the landlady couldn't help but feel relieved, that they gave him a chance to start his new life at their home. They had no idea how he was before moving in with them, but one thing was clear.

Sahashi Minato was a honest, kind and determine young man. Not to mention that he had a very clean and organized lifestyle, complete with good manners. These were things many of her past tenants lacked, resulting in Minato being the only tenant they had at that moment.

The only change she could notice about him was that the hard work he had done along with her healthy meals had helped him build up some muscle on that lithe body of his. One would have to look very carefully or touching him to notice such thing, though, because Minato always left for work in his baggy blue coveralls and work cap.

Though, despite those physical improvement, he was still very vulnerable to teasing and none the wiser about it.

* * *

Putting the bundle of wire and his toolbox in the corner, Minato sat down at the table in the middle of the room. It was filled with books about engineering, modern tech and urban electrical. All were college- and professional-grade materials. The shelves on the edge of the room were filled with various kind of things he created by using the small workshop opposite his bedroll.

Letting out of a tired sigh again, the young man fell on his back, looking at the light on the ceiling. He turned to his side to avoid staring at it; his hand reached up to his neck, fiddling with the ribbon he was wearing.

"When will you come back?… Am I too eager?"

He was muttering to himself, thinking about what he'd achieved through the last three years. The first thing Minato did once settled down was to print packs of visit cards for his own business and distribute them through the new neighborhood and other places. Then he applied for work under a skilled auto electrician, accepting the low wage in order to apprentice under him.

With little cash he earned from the auto shop, which was more about gaining the experience, plus from being a handyman by advertising himself. After three months of diving from one job to another, Minato got enough money and knowledge to get himself his own bike, widening his business circle to more high-end areas. The rest he spent on study materials.

After one year, he quit working at the auto shop and applied himself to a local electric company. Upon being denied, he got the list of requirements needed, which became his main goal. Training courses followed.

His apprenticeships course finished three months ago after two hard years of studying. During that time, he struggled to keep his study schedule and working time in balance. Barely earned enough money to pay the rent and if not thanked to Miya's meals, couldn't even manage a decent meal for himself. But he made it through.

With more than three years of professional training, practical experience and a certified degree slash license on his back, Minato was highly sought for as a mechanic, assistant constructor and electrician. With himself being a good nature person who never rip others off also earned him a good reputation in his trade.

Many encouraged him to go for higher education or training. But for reasons unknown, Minato always found himself lack the drive and motivation to go higher. Especially during the past few months.

Every night, he dreamt of her: standing at the edge of the MBI building, the sleeves of her dress fluttered in the blowing wind, cherry blossom petals all around them.

Yet all he saw was the crimson crest on her back. Not once did she turn to face him, no matter what he said. Those dreams left him feeling lost and distressed every morning. It took a lot out of him to leave his bed and start the day.

It wasn't the only problem.

His mother was getting hard to bear, with her constant calls of getting him to meet with girls or women his age. He didn't know why she started doing that. But he wished she would stop. It didn't help his already-thinning, worn-down patience.

With a sigh to put his depressing thought in the back of his mind, Minato pulled out his phone and began dialing a number.

A raspy but masculine voice picked up. "Seo here. What is it, Minato?"

"Seo, I have a job to rewire a house and I need to finish it in four days. You available?"

"I got class in the morning. Rest of the day is good, though. That enough?"

"Let me see." Minato took out his notebook, scanning the contents. "Yeah, that would be enough." _Barely_. "It'll be a fifty man job, sixty and forty pay. You good with that?"

" ...Thirty and seventy." Seo declared after a moment of hesitation. "Takehito and Miya would skin me alive if I robbed you that much."

He couldn't hold back a chuckle from the thought. "Sixty-five and thirty-five, then. I'll text you the address; remember to use proper work-wear. _Please_ be on time, Seo."

He hung up and noticed that he got a new message during the phone call. It was Yukari. She just got on the train which would arrive at Shinto Teito by five this afternoon. Then she asked him to treat her to some local ramen.

He snorted, typing a reply.

" _Denied. The landlady would cook_ us _for dinner. You don't want to make a bad impression on first day, do you Yukari ?"_ he texted.

" _eh?! Σ(°△°|||) But I want to eat ramen, onii-san_ _! (_ _＃_ _`Д´)"_

He chuckled, always finding his little sister's way of texting cute and funny. And elaborate.

" _We have something better today. Behave. I gotta go. See you later, Yukari."_

After delivering the address of the client to Seo, Minato left the phone on the table next to his laptop, buried under a pile of books, then went for the bath with new clothes in his hands.

* * *

Lunch was calm and peaceful, with the occasional small talk shared between bites.

"Haven't decided to go for higher education or professional courses yet, Minato?"

Hearing Takehito question him, Minato swallowed his food, thinking deeply. He never stopped studying, always seeking to deepen his pool of knowledge with things that could be useful, in order to build a comfortable life. But lately he'd lost the motivation. It wasn't just because of the woman he was waiting for, either.

It was what he wanted to do with his life. Sure, he wanted to be a mechanic and was doing his best at the moment. What he lacked was a reason. "Just to get better" was never good enough of a motivation to break through the barrier of self-limit.

Sensing his trouble thoughts, Miya cut in. "You never did tell us why you didn't choose your mother's career."

"Oh that. It wasn't anything serious. Having to do odd jobs around the house, I grew up thinking about being useful so I decided to be an electrician or mechanic. I simply find peace and meaning in repairing my own house... Besides, we have enough medical practitioners in the family. My grandma does it, too. That's a part of the reason why Yukari moved in with me starting today. Grandma took a break from retirement to help out a friend, or so she said."

Noticed Miya and Takehito's usual silent communication methods, Minato smiled to himself. Still amazed by such a thing every time he saw it.

"I think I'm lacking a reason to move beyond the norm of 'having a good life'. What I've learned is enough to live comfortably, while still having spare yen to save up for a house in five or ten years. Depends. But that's about it."

He admitted it and glad to see Takehito nodding in understanding. "I see. I was in such a situation. I studied biology and genetics out of curiosity, wanting to know about humans, what makes us tick. Then my senpai discovered something great, something amazing and absolutely revolutionary. I started dabbling in gene modification and more. Then one day…"

The spark in Takehito's eyes went dull, his face sobering as he continued. "After witnessing the result of my work… I regret my own accomplishment. I can't even feel proud about it."

The white-haired man looked over to his wife and put his hand over hers, squeezing gently. "Then I found something more important than discovering and attaining greatness. I found love and realized the joy of my life, to protect those I care about and to help others in need. You can only live so long by yourself, Minato. To live is to care for someone, to share our happiness, our sorrow and lighten each other's burden. Simply put, to live... is to love."

The young engineer nodded thoughtfully, understanding the wisdom behind those words. .

"I get what you mean. That might explain why my mother is pushing those dates on me." He sighed. " The only thing I can do now is to hope, and wait."

* * *

Sahashi Yukari, fourteen years old, graduated junior high school in the Top Twenty, a strong, smart and confident girl. She enjoyed hot food with plenty of soup, looking at pretty boys and beautiful woman. She despised elitists, who acted like they were Buddha reincarnated or something.

She was also the little sister of one Sahashi Minato, known as the Mad Dog of Wakayama High School due to his berserk and frenzied state whenever one of those elitists tried to bully him. It was a nickname known to everyone, except the one who bore it. Yukari herself also left her mark on their hometown's junior high school in a similar fashion. It became an unspoken rule not to anger a Sahashi.

Though, _she_ was aware of her status.

She even knew who their father was, with the way he'd suddenly pop up on the TV whenever their mother was home visiting.

Her kind brother, smart to the point of a genius. What is the point of being a genius if you can't even read the mind of those who you care about so much?! He was as dense as a rock and while being in love for the first time in his life, was totally clueless about such thing.

Was that why mother refused to let father back into their life? EVEN after the man realized that family was important and wanted to be connected with his children? Would it be the same thing for Minato?

No! She wouldn't allow it! She'd stay with her brother from now on and teach him all about love, from family to between woman and man… Her cheeks flushed at the latter. Yes, even between woman and man.

"Shinto Teito Station. Shinto Teito Station-"

The announcer's voice dragged Yukari's thought back to reality. People around her were moving about. She did the same and made her way off the train, through the station and finally to the street out front.

"Finally, the new capital." Yukari looked up at the big monitor on the opposite building and smiled at the man it was showing. " Hey, dad. Looking good."

"Hello, are you new to town? Need any help getting around?"

A shady character suddenly approached her. He looked nice, so nice that Yukari's instincts were screaming at her to either ignore the man or beat him till he ran. She had more dignity than that.

Showing him a friendly smile, she politely waved a hand at him."Thanks but no thanks. My brother's about to pick me up any moment now."

"Then how about we have some coffee, my treat?"

" _What are you? A cockroach?!"_

Yukari's face twitched, getting annoyed with the blatant pickup line. She was about to rip the man a new one when she heard the loud vehicle horn from behind her.

 **BEEP BEEP!**

"Kept you waiting, huh Yukari?" said the young man riding an old green Super Cub, dressed in a pair of blue denim jeans and buttoned up brown winter coat for men. With his helmet removed, Yukari recognized her brother and jumped at him with a tight embrace.

"Onii-san!" she shouted in happiness.

"I just met you during the New Year and you've grown so much since then!" he said. "Did you have a growth spurt or something?"

"Uh huh!" She removed herself from him and twirled on the ground. The skirt of her high school uniform lifted up but just a moment. "What do you think? Do I look cute to you?"

"You look very cute, Yukari." He answered without missing a beat, smiling brightly. "My sister is the cutest."

Yukari flushed so hard she could imagine steam coming off her head right at that moment. He was worse than before!

"You're no fair!" she squeaked, pounding her fists on him repeatedly to hide her embarrassment "Stupid onii-san!"

"Ouch! Ouch! What did I do?! Hey, that hurts!"

The womanizer was completely forgotten in the background and soon drifted away, remaining insignificant as he'd always.

* * *

"My name is Sahashi Yukari, fourteen years old, thank you for taking care of my onii-san. I'll be bothering _you_ from now on, too."

Kaoru Seo observed from the table as the little lady Minato brought to Maison Izumo introduced herself to the landlords, very politely at that. She was dressed in her new high school uniform. Probably just to prove that she all grown up and was a high school girl, then.

He could see the similarity between them, especially the eyes and cheekbones.

" _But damn… high school kids these days sure grown up fast, filled out nicely too."_ He thought to himself, a lecherous smirk directed at the girl, unnoticed by most.

" _ **Kaoru-san."**_

The sudden call of his surname and the burning temperature alerted him that he was not subtle as he thought. It wasn't Miya that caught him in the act. It was her brother!

" _ **Please refrain from looking at my sister with such perverted eyes."**_ His eyes turned half-lidded with the usual friendly smile directed at Seo. _ **"Else I'm afraid some accidents might occur when we work together. Actually, I prefer that you not look at her at all."**_

But what made Seo and Yukari freeze up on the spot was the angry face of Bishamonten _,_ one of the Shitenno _,_ surrounded with smoke and fire, floating right above where Minato was sitting.

" _ **Are we clear?"**_ He pressed the question as Bishamonten's face grew angrier and burned brighter, glaring down at Seo like a rumbling volcano.

"Y-Yes! All clear! P-Please put it away man!"

Just like that, it disappeared and the air turned back to normal.

"I'm glad we came to an understanding. Also, put what away now?"

The still-shaking Seo was used to such acts of pretend innocence, so instead of questioning it he turned to the root of the problem.

"You! I blame you!" He shouted at Takehito with an accusation finger pointing at him. "First it's this witch and now him! Quit spreading it!"

"Why Seo-kun, I have no idea what you're talking about." Takehito brushed off his junior's accusation with a not-so-innocent smile.

Said junior tugged on his hair and screamed out-loud in frustration. All the while Minato, Miya and Takehito were having a good time laughing their heads off. It was just another day at Maison Izumo.

* * *

He could never understand the way people got attracted to new trendy things. Bad is bad, he thought, nothing wrong with keeping the good old things. Especially music.

 _Hey, I won't forget when we scribbled "Our very own country" on the world map  
It was such a childish promise it makes me laugh-_

The sound of mouse-clicking, the classical throwback music echoing in the small room. Minato concentrated on the task of marking the layout of his client's house, listing the materials and tools needed. Although he could do without having his sister loitering and digging through every nooks and crannies in his room.

"Yukari, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be back in your room unboxing things?"

"Oh I'll do that, after I find your secret stash of porn and h-doujin."

He couldn't help but sweatdropped and facepalmed at her bluntness.

"Oi, imouto-san, I don't have such things. So go back to your room and let onii-san work. Please?"

She giggled at him before draping herself over his back to look at the laptop screen from his shoulder. She knew her brother had been working as a handyman and electrician for years now. But the things she saw was more like construction or architecture.

"What are you doing?"

"Just drawing up the plan for a rewiring project. It pays the bills."

"Heee…" She made a sound of amazement. "That looks difficult. Do you even have any time left for yourself? Never mind your girlfriend."

"My schedule is full for the next week, but I do have the evening for myself… Not that I have a girlfriend _yet_."

Yukari felt his shoulders slump and knew she made a mistake in asking. She felt like she just kicked a puppy! When her brother first talked about that woman years ago, how beautiful and caring she was, Yukari felt jealous but happy for him, thankful that the stranger was there for her brother, in his weakest moment.

But now, that promise felt like a weight holding him down. Or at least, she thought so. Minato was very tight-lipped whenever the topic came up, multiple time in family meeting during New Years.

Such devotion, especially the cute but silly looking ribbon always seen on his person. Why couldn't her big brother have a normal relationship?!

She knew not to press the topic. She was prepared for this! Instead she would…

"Nee nee onii-san, you even think about what you'd do when your promised one comes back?"

The way his movement stopped told her that she already got his attention. _Success!_

"... What do you suggest?" That was just like him, rather than admitting it. Minato always turned it into a question.

"Ufufufu, your sister is totally prepared… with this!"

Minato looked at the rectangular thing she suddenly put in front of his face.

"An anime? ' _Ah! My Goddess'_? What's this for?"

"From now on-" Yukari stood up straight, fist pumping striking a sentai pose which she usually saw their father did. "I'll make sure you prepare yourself, from manners to actions! You'll welcome your girlfriend back the _proper_ way!"

She turned to him with a saddened look, tears streaming. "I hate seeing my onii-sama moping around, waiting in despair. Such a caring imouto I am! _Praise me!_ "

 _By watching anime? Really?_

Looking at the disc case he was holding, then to his sister's eager and sincere face, Minato couldn't help but chuckling in amusement. She was right: he was never prepared for this. What would he do when she came back? What should he say? He had never thought about it.

Pulling his sister down for a hug, he praised her with the most loving voice he could muster. "Thank you Yukari, you're the best. What would I do without you?"

He remained totally oblivious to his sister's inner squealing, as she returned the hug as strong as she could.

With Yukari's help, what could go wrong ?

* * *

Minato's life went on normally, working day in and out, earning money and knowledge for the future...

"This hole is too small for the new cable. Let's make it wider. Could you hand me the drill, Seo? "

...having wonderful meals at Maison Izumo everyday, filled with family warmth and laughter...

"Hey, a new cabaret opened recently in Kabukichou," said Seo, munching on some pork. "Wanna come with?"

"Kaoru-san." Miya's sweet tone cut in before Minato could voice his answer. "Lately our food stock has been low, and I may have to prioritize our rations. _**Care to guess who would starve first?"**_

...spending time with his little sister, spoiling her, but not too much. Then again, he never knew the scale of such thing. He even attended the annual parent-teacher meeting for Yukari per her request...

"Nice to meet you. I'm Minato, Yukari's elder brother. Thank you for taking care of my sister. _**Please treat her well.**_ "

Her friends from school, both boys and girls, huddled into each other, all crying in fear at the massive head of Bishamonten appeared above him.

 _Onii-san is so protective! But it's bad, don't scare my friends! Oi sensei, why are you blushing?!_

...spending weekend evenings together, watching anime shows like old times...

"... Yukari? Is it normal for high schoolers to casually fall in love, have sex then murder each other like that? Do I need to worry about who you're seeing?"

"This Aoi girl reminds me of Miya-san, except the scary part. The guy is a wimp, though. She traveled miles to be with you! That's not how you treat a nadeshiko! You haven't seen her in _decades_!"

Minato squirmed when the wimp got what he deserved, a good sign. Yukari smiled at that. _That's right, onii-san, being unfaithful is a no-no!_

Though nothing beat pure and undying love! They didn't call _'Bluer than Indigo'_ the classic romance story (despite its harem nonsense) for nothing!

 _Operation 'Romancing Onii-sama' is a success!_ Such were the thoughts of Sahashi Yukari.

"Tsundere disgust me. I don't want to watch this anymore," stated Minato after watching an episode of ' _Zero's Familiar'_.

 _Or maybe not._

One time at the local video rental shop...

"This one's title and cover look tranquil, Yukari. Let's rent this series out."

"Let me have a look, _Yosuga no-_ Te?! Onii-san! You can't! I'm not mentally prepared for it! No, not _Aki Sora,_ too!"

While paying the fees for borrowing the anime, Minato suddenly stopped.

"Do you have any recommendations for adult movies?" he asked the clerk using the most deadpan poker face he could muster. "Ones that teach how to pleasure a woman?"

Yukari couldn't help but cover her face in embarrassment while everyone inside the rental shop looked at Minato like he was an alien. Although, some female customers were blushing and giggling at him.

* * *

It wasn't long before Miya noticed how close the Sahashi siblings were and couldn't help but tease him for that. That was the only time it failed to affect him.

"Family should always be close." he answered with a warm smile directed at her. "Because we are often apart, it's a given that we should be closer to each other: to save up for the times we weren't."

From his answer, she figured out something about Sahashi Minato.

 _He lives for the affection of others… almost like a Sekirei._

Miya dreaded the day his affection wasn't returned. For she'd already witnessed something similar happened... to a dear friend of hers.

* * *

New Year finally came. The family reunion was _blissfully_ uneventful. The topic of his love life never came up, just to keep the homely atmosphere in check. After a week or so, everyone left the house and went back to their own lives.

It became his duty to drive Yukari to school and back, almost every day except when the girl wanted to travel with her new friends. Thanks to the occasional discussions with his dear little sister, the landlady along with the rare phone calls from his mother, Minato was better equipped at dealing with women in general.

Waiting on his motorbike by the gate of Yukari's school, Minato noticed the the pink petals floating gently in the chill wind.

 _Spring is here,_ the man realized. _So is the fourth year since I met you..._

Minato Sahashi, age twenty-three, nearing twenty-four, single and still waiting for the promise yet to come.

* * *

Unknown to him, at the edge of the city, a silhouette could be seen standing at the top of the massive bridge, the sleeves of her purple dress flapping in the strong wind.

With a happy smile, Kazehana spreaded her arms wide and declared out loud.

"Minato-kun! I'm back!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I think I'll let the chapter close here and continue in the next one. Some may disagree with the way I use some Japanese words and not translating them to English. All I can say is I only watch anime in the sub, not dub. I love the local phrasing and its specific meaning. So I won't be replacing it with the dub version lines.

 _ **Remember to check the link in my profile page**_

 _ **for this story's illustrations!**_

 **Review Q &A:**

 **Ikrani** : I haven't receive such specific and detail review in… EVER! Please continue to support me.

 **Kreceir** : I aim to make Minato into a person every twenties years old can relate to and would act if given a change. That's what a fanfic is all about, to be something that you could have been in that specific world. Kinda pointless to imagine you being someone you can not be, ever lol

 **AnimeA55Kicker** : If you have any idea about that conversation, feel free to pm me about it! Anything would help! Also thank you for reading.

 **Darkstel** : The only overpowered one is #01 and I don't think we'll get there in the first 6 chapters =]]]]

 **DMacIntosh** : I hope the betareader did a good job on the prologue, what do you think ? Also why is the conversations confuse to you ? Can you pm me with the details and an explanation so I can improve it ?

 **RP** : I won't be adding OC to this story. There are enough characters already =]]] Karasuba? That'd be spoiler.

 **Gaspachu** : Once again thank you for the praise and I check out the fic you mentioned, good read! Also most fan forgot but Sekirei despite having fanservice each page, it is the love that keep the story flow. It's a fucking love story and a lot of fanfic writer forgot about it! They turn it into a cheap harem shounen comedy! Musubi is not a child! She's a sincere girl in love! Don't brush her off like that you dumb fucks!... Sorry about that . I was frustrated. Also I won't make Minato smoke or drink if you ask. But he would seek out alcohol as a let out to his sorrow when needs be like first showed in Prologue. Also Sekirei is a completed series so I doubt there'll be a stuck as long as I plan it out like I am doing.

 **MickDunD** : Thanks!

 **Kelstar159** : Sorry I kinda enjoy the love Uzume has for Chiho. But like I said in the PM, I'll go around it :D

 **Dozer** : I'm glad to hear that a lot of people enjoy the multiple POV from many characters other than Minato. I want to make this my official way of storytelling. It's more complicated than the usual way sure but the potential and effect, like you said, is clearer and more refreshing! Especially when applied on a fanfict or retelling a story which has been told (like FSN Heaven's Feel Movies. It uses Sakura's POV instead of Shirou's like the original visual novel). I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

 **RP** : At least one chapter per month, I promise!

 **ViktornovaMk2** : If you read the original manga, you will know that Minato has a perfect score on the test given to him by Matsu. It's a test compiled from 5 years of Toudai's entrance exams tests with the difficulty tuned to a higher level. Yet Minato perfected it without the training or study because he was busy with the S plan. So yeah, remove that cowardly nerve of him and we got the Minato I'm writing about!

 **Guest** : Thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

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 _ **OMAKE - EXTRA !**_

(Due to this being extra, it is not to be beta-ed)

It was Yukari's first night at Maison Izumo. After a delicious hot meal, the young Sahashi decided to explore the place. During that, she came across a sticky board full of pictures by the hallway on the first floor.

Scanning each of them, Yukari noticed various random moments from Miya sweeping the yard, Takehito sitting on the table with a glass of water in hand, Seo stealing food from the fridge,… But the one that caught her attention the most was a photo of the landowners being together.

They were on the patio by the garden. Takehito-san resting his head on Miya-sama's lap. Both looking straight at the camera, smiling in amusement. It was like a pair of loving parents playfully watching over their children.

"Your brother might not be a jack of all trades, but very close to one."

The gruff man joined Yukari, both looking at the same picture.

"That's the first picture he took with that odd looking camera of his…"

 _Kaoru Seo loved his childhood friend Asama Takehito very much. Despite said childhood friend being a mad scientist, a crazy genius, the devil incarnate. Just like his monster of a wife. Therefore Seo took a tiny bit of pleasure in accidentally interrupting their private intimate moment._

 _Like he was doing then._

" _Yo! I brought watermelon! Watermelon!"_

 _His sudden appearance caused the pair of husband and wife straightened up from their almost kissing activity. Ah newlywed… But what the hell! They've been married for years already._

 _Stop rubbing it in the face of a guy whose years of being single equals his age!_

" _Miya-chan, cut it up for us… Why are you making that face?" he might had stepped over the line a bit. Because Miya was making a really scary face then._

" _Ah, please don't move Miya-san, you too Takehito-san."_

 _Minato, who was following behind Seo, asked them to remain still while he took out a very funny looking camera from the bag he was carrying._

" _I just got this from a pawn shop we recently done business in. It's old but in very good condition. Quite an expensive, professional polaroid camera back in the day."_

" _Ara." Miya hid a bemused smile with her sleeve. "Should I worry about you taking peep shot when I'm not looking now, Minato-kun?"_

" _If it's a beautiful moment like these, maybe. Now excuse me, I'm still new at this."_

 _The young engineer started looking at them from various angles._

" _You sure you want to waste films on this witch, Minato?"_

" _**Kaoru-kun, that witch you are referring to is my wife."**_

" _**I'm right here you know."**_

 _Being double-teamed, Seo hid himself behind Minato who was still trying to pick a good angle like a professional cameraman._

" _Yes, this is a great one." he finally said. "Beautiful."_

" _Should I be worry about this, Minato?" Takehito asked still resting on his wife's soft lap._

" _No, it's nothing like that. I'm just admiring your love. As a matter of fact, you two are the only live example of a happy married couple I know about."_

 _The young man nonchalantly admitted, totally not aware of the blush creeping on his landlady's cheeks. While Takehito had an understanding look on his face, remembering his senpai who were also Minato's parents. Another reason to look forward to his retirement in the future._

 _No child should be raised without guidance from parents, especially when it come to equivocal stuffs like love and relationship._

" _If this is how love between a man and woman looks like." he handed over the recently printed photo to the couple._

" _Then I truly want to have a love like yours."_

"Man I don't know wether to call him a hopeless romantic or a clueless romantic. Maybe both ?" Seo sighed as he recited the event to the little girl. Only to notice that she had already made her way upstairs.

" What the- Yukari! I'm changing!" Came the sudden yelp of Minato then the sounds of tumbling.

" Onii-san! I want a picture of me taken too!"

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	3. Chapter 02 - Foolishly, Undoubtedly

**Sekirei - Everything in these hands**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Sekirei manga nor any of its creative content. This is purely made from my passion and love for the story and the characters. All music references belong to their respective performer, creator, musician studio, I made no profit from them.

"Talking"

 _This for Thinking, Flashback, Transmission or Whispering_

 **"Summon/Mind talking, SFX"**

* * *

By the way, the genre _**Drama**_ is up there for a reason.  
This is a _**Romance**_ story.  
So deal with the fluff and stuffs at your own risk.

Check the url in my profile for **this chapter's illustration and pdf file!**

 **Music referred:** _Can't Say Goodbye To Yesterday_ by Carla White (Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty OST)

* * *

 **Chapter 02 - Foolishly, Undoubtedly, Mutually**

The moment she entered Shinto Teito, a fire was lit inside Kazehana. Every fiber of her being had been responding to the pull of her destined persons. Yes, persons, as in plural.

Slender fingers pressed deep into her own flesh, wrapping her body like that of a protective cocoon. She sent a forlorn gaze at the skyhigh tower of MBI. The tall structure sat in the middle of the city, above all else, fully out of reach. Much like the man who sat at the top.

The President of MBI was once a brightly lit beacon in the middle of night, a guidelight for those who were lost. She could no longer bear to gaze at that light, for fear of being blinded.

But, he was not the reason her core was burning. Releasing her body, hands spread wide, she'd finally arrived.

"Minato-kuuun! I'm back!"

* * *

"Sahashi? That brat moved years ago."

The bald landlord's words hit her like a truck in the fast lane.

The moment she knocked on the door of Minato's supposed apartment, a stranger answered instead. Seeking the landlord was the right thing to do then.

The Wind Mistress was more horrified by her stupidity than the fact that her potential Ashikabi was missing. She should have gotten some info or at least a phone number from him. Instead she left her hair tie ribbon behind and slipped away before dawn, like in a dramatic love story! Oh, the shame she was feeling…

"What's a harlot like you doing with a nice boy like him anyway?"

"Harlot? Now look-"

She paused mid-sentence. If there was something Kazehana had absolute confidence in, it was her devotion and her gorgeous figure. So it was an unpleasant surprise to see someone, especially male, looking at her with jaded eyes, full of distrust and scorn.

' _Nice boy' he said, so he knows about Minato-kun and is protecting him? Time to switch tactics then._

With her back stood straight, legs closed, hands put before her and a demure smile formed on her lips. Kazehana's image switched one-hundred and eighty degree in a blink of eyes. Her previous sultry glow disappeared, replaced with a dignified but still sexy-as-hell outlook.

The change was so sudden that the landlord blinked his eyes several times in disbelief. It seemed those years spent watching Number One acting like a housewife had their use after all.

"My apologies. That was uncouth of me." She bowed deeply before him. "My name is Kazehana. Years ago I met Sahashi-kun and... we exchanged vows of love with each other."

She paused at the last part, her head turned away trying to hide her blush.

"But when I got back today, he was already-" Her body shook, the back of her hand came up to swipe the tears from her eyes. "What should I do? I have no way to contact him."

The landlord's eyes widened in astonishment, unfounded by the revelation. He mumbled and looked away from her, a look of guilt painted on his face. Scratching the back of his head, the man told the sobbing woman to wait before walking into his house.

Hidden by her hands, Kazehana's eyes flashed in triumph.

Later the man came back with a folded note thrusting at her. The piece of paper felt almost brittle in her hand, a telltale sign of exposure through the years.

"The brat gave it to me in case, by his words: 'an absolutely beautiful lady with dark purple hair came asking for him'." He paused to take in her appearance once more before continuing. "Well, if it's really you, tell the brat to stop looking like his cat was run over whenever I call him for business reasons! Now do you need directions? Or a cab?"

"That won't be necessary." Wiping off her tears, she bowed once more. "Thank you for everything landlord-sama. I'll be going now."

He waved her off and closed the door to his house. Kazehana gently opened the piece of paper. Inside she found a visit card and a few words written on it.

 _As this note remains in the landlord's hands,  
Know that I'm still waiting on our promise._

 _Sahashi Minato_

Such simple words yet sounded so sweet at the same time, she couldn't hold back a girlish giggle. Her happy smile disappeared the moment she looked at the card and the address written on it. The Sekirei wondered then, if it was all a coincidence or merely a joke by fate?

* * *

Maison Izumo was the same as she remembered: an old-fashioned boarding house with paper slide doors, no locks and all made of wood, giving it a warm, classic feeling to those who enjoyed the sentimentality of things.

But there was a new structure, a small shed, positioned in the corner of the yard where Miya hang laundry out to dry. It too was made of wood and was recently built, if the still-bright color of its walls were any indication.

Kazehana jumped and landed on the yard, greeted by Miya and Takehito sitting at the large table in the living room.

"Ara, Kazehana, what a sudden visit. Perhaps you should use the front door next time, hm?"

That abomination was floating behind her just like before, making Kazehana flinch back with an apologetic smile.

"Scary as ever, Miya. It's been awhile, Takehito-san." She sauntered over the patio and sat on it."I'm actually looking for someone living here. Mind giving a girl in love some help?"

Kazehana took out the paper from between her… breasts. The wind carried it from her hand over to the table, touching down between Takehito and Miya. The man read it, his expression unchanging. Miya received it from him and her face went from surprise to mild sorrow, then acceptance at last.

"I have my doubts from seeing your hair tie in his possession. But this confirms it." Gently putting the paper on the table, she beckoned Kazehana to join them. "But do you truly want Minato to be involved in The Sekirei Plan? We are all aware of how devoted this young man can be when it comes to love. Three years is but a blink of an eye, but it was long enough to test one's faith to a nameless person."

"All the more reason I choose him to be my Ashikabi, Miya." Kazehana turned to look out at the garden, her gaze following the swaying branches of the trees. "A Sekirei's life is only a few years until the last one remains standing, together with their Ashikabi. I want to spend those years with the one I love… While we're at it, I might as well try to be the last one."

The air was suddenly filled with tension and hostility. Both women smiled and locked eyes at each other. Takehito knew he had to interrupt before his inn was ruined.

"Number Three Kazehana." He called out her name, using the voice at the adjusting room. "You need him as a Sekirei needs an Ashikabi? Or do you want him as a woman?"

Finally dragged out of her staring match with Miya, the buxom woman looked at her adjuster with a curious gaze. "Sekirei are beings of love, and an Ashikabi's their lover, bonded for life. There is no difference."

"I could say the same about his father. And we all know how that turned out."

Kazehana felt like she was shot multiple times in the heart and collapsed backward, tears like baseballs plummeting from her eyes.

"You don't have to be so direct! How cruel!"

"Just making a point." The white-haired scientist smirked and took a drink from his glass of water. "Miya-chan was worrying for the both of you. Minato's devoted affection aside, what makes him special to you other than the Sekirei attraction to their Ashikabi? How can you be sure you truly want him out of love, rather than just a rebound from Minaka?"

"..."

The silence stretched on after that, with both Sekirei dwelling on Takehito's words.

Kazehana remembered her old fire, her admiration and love for the President of MBI. A brilliant, charismatic man with a strong personality, on pair with his intelligence and confidence. She loved the way he shouldered a whole race, against the whole world; his craziness and nonsense, covering the ambition he had for her kind and a new world where Sekirei fly free on their own. To her, he was the manliest man in this era-...

 _Maybe I'm not as over the President as I thought I was._ She could feel it now. Her fire still burned for the one at MBI Tower.

"If that's the case," she said, her words crisp and clear, "I only need to see for myself, that Minato's a better man. After all, I'm already here."

Her adjuster smiled approvingly. "That is a good answer, Kazehana. What do you think, Miya-chan?"

"I'm not sure about your standard of a manly person," Miya began as her sharp eyes focused on Kazehana, "but Minato-kun is the manliest human I've ever seen."

"More than me, Miya-chan?"

"Given your uselessness outside of a lab room Takehito-san, I'm afraid so."

It was Takehito's turn to get roasted. Before it turned into their usual husband-and-wife bickering, Miya continued.

"I witnessed the day he moved in just a week after you were gone, with only a small bag of clothing and the barest necessity one could have. Every day after, he went out in the early morning and came back late, exhausted but with a smile. The days he spent indoors, I always found him with a book stuck to his face. Honestly Takehito-san, are you sure you two are not related?"

Her husband chuckled. "He is one hundred percent Minaka's offspring."

"Anyway, what I mean to say is-" The landlady turned to her own kind. "The way he struggled through hardship, learning to make himself a better person for the one he loves… It reminds me of myself when I started living with Takehito-san."

Taking a deep breath, she sent a piercing gaze at Kazehana and spoke.

"Just from that, I have no doubt that whichever woman Minato-kun chose to be with, he would love them dearly, giving her everything. Getting chosen just because you're reacting to him... How unfair... And you know that, Kazehana."

One could see the sorrow in Miya's eyes and the impact her words had on Kazehana. She knew better than any Sekirei, to love like a normal human being. Without the reassurance of their reaction, it was like a risky gamble. But at the same, more honest and natural than any kind of love out there.

After a moment of silence to let the lesson sunk in. Kazehana finally understood what Miya was saying.

"Really, I claim to be the most passionate Sekirei when it comes to love." Kazehana slumped onto the table, hands supporting her head as she signed. "With the only experience I have is that of a rejection. But!"

Like a coiled spring, she suddenly sprang back from her slumped position, eyes sparkling full of life and optimism. Her face was that of a high school girl in love for the first time.

"I believe as long as I reunite with him, I'll learn how to truly love him. We'll go on dates, have romantic dinners, sharing our love on a balcony under the moonlight, then finally a deep, passionate kiss with us both ending up on the nearest bed, having hot-"

 **BAM!**

She was practically drooling when Miya cut her off with a ladle to the head. "That will be enough out of you, Miss Public Obscenity. The day you molest that poor young man will be the day I retrieve _Totsuga no Tsurugi_ from Kouten and end you. Have I made myself clear?"

"I~yan Miya-san, so scary..."

* * *

The sun had almost set when Minato and his sister made it back to Maison Izumo. The traffic was terrible, hard to move through even on motorbike. Winter Break was over so it couldn't be helped. Yukari made it off first and entered the house when he pushed the bike into the yard, too distracted to notice the stranger sitting at the table with the landowners.

"I'm home." Announcing himself while removing his shoes, Minato noticed a pair of purple heels that felt vaguely familiar to him.

He followed after his sister, who was standing at the entrance to the living room. She looked like a golden fish with her mouth opened wide and eyes the size of saucepan. Mildly amused, he wondered what could make her reacted like that?

 **THUMP**

The heavy toolbox slipped off his hand. His eyes looked to swallow his own eyebrows from how wide they grew. The same one-piece purple dress that hugged her body, the red-colored crest on her neck, barely visible beneath her dark silky hair.

Was it really her, he wondered, or had his dream of every night arrived early?

It was as if he were an engine, suddenly cut off from its power source. His mind froze at the image before him, unable to process what it saw, even as she turned to face him. The sweet smell of cherry mixed with sake assaulted him, his eyes moved from the pair of ruby lips to those deep amethyst eyes.

It was truly her. The woman he waited for.

She was as beautiful as the night they met, even better with her hair let down, draping over her shoulders. Without saying a word, Minato walked over and sat down before her. His hands shakingly reached out, hesitantly, afraid that she would disappear the moment he touched her.

She reached out and caught his instead. Her fingers gently wrapped against his.

Minato was always told his hands were small and took it as an advantage, especially for jobs that required precision like his. The softness of her fingers against his callused hands reminded him how perfect she was, from top to bottom. He couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"You truly waited for me, didn't you, Minato-kun?"

He nodded twice at her question, face flushing red.

Her smile cast a glow around her features. "...I'm glad. I've waited a long time, too."

Memories of the discussion he had with mother, Miya-san and his sister flashed through his minds. He recounted them and the steps he wrote down on his notebook.

"Shouldn't you say something, then? Or are you going to keep quiet like that? Don't worry, I won't bite." Still clasping his hand, she leaned in close to his ear. "...much."

Three years, he had been preparing for this moment. But when it finally happened, words failed him, his mind failed him, his body failed him, _everything was failing him!_

" _Come on, come on, think Minato, remember the steps."_ His mind broke down, trying to gather his thoughts. _"Greet her, know her name, get her on a date, marriage proposal… proposal, date, greeting-"_

"Pl-please…" His lips moved shakingly, trying to put out words, gathering the attention of everyone present. Finally Minato found his words… spoken out loud.

"PLEASE DATE ME WITH THE GOAL OF MARRIAGE IN MIND!"

* * *

The sudden proposal of Sahashi Minato. Almost ended with Kazehana jumping on him and winging herself, right there and then. In front of everyone.

Luckily, before Kazehana could violate the young man's lips, Miya acted right away, judo-flipping the overly amorous Sekirei off her lover, separating the recently reunited couple.

Out came that evil-looking hannya mask _ **. "Don't you dare,"**_ Miya warned, her eyes blazing brighter than her demon's.

She then sent Minato to the bath, seeing he was still dressed in his coveralls after a hard working day.

Meanwhile, Yukari waited at the table with them, eyes drilling into Kazehana. One could almost hear the 'chiiii' sound as the girl kept her hard stare at a specific part on the buxom woman's body.

"Yukari-chan," Miya called out from the kitchen, snapping Yukari out of her concentration. "It's impolite to stare."

The young girl touched her neck and smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. So um, you're the one my brother waited for?… Where were you all these years?"

"Oh, I traveled here and there, sampling locals' specialty and such," Kazehana, who was still under Miya's scrutiny, answered politely.

Yukari's head tilted, thinking. "Are you a model for a travel agency or something? You do have, uh, more than enough quality for such job… I'm sorry, I'll shut up now."

The young girl made a motion to zip her mouth as Miya sent her a warning look.

Minato came back a moment later, all dry and clean. Yukari took her brother's place in the bathroom. The living room's atmosphere was very... awkward. Takehito sat at the table, head resting on one hand while the other browse through TV channels with the remote, completely ignoring the potential Ashikabi and the Sekirei before him.

"Mou, you two are so hopeless," sighed Miya as she began preparing dinner. "You can start by introducing yourselves, you know."

Like his sister, Minato's hand reached out to the back of his neck with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I got the order of introductions wrong back then." his cheeks reddened from embarrassment. "My name is Sahashi Minato, as you already knew. If it's not too late, can I ask for yours?"

 _How cute! I could eat him right up,_ she thought to herself, eyes filled with unhidden lust. "You can call me Kazehana, Minato-kun."

"That's a beautiful name... I dare say it fits you nicely." He decided to apply one of his sister's advice then. Ignoring his own confusion at the lack of family name.

It paid off nicely with the way Kazehana smiled at him, suggestively. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Minato-kun."

Not stopping there, she pushed forward, her firm breast pressed against the table's surface with one hand resting under her chin. Her whole body oozed with confident sexuality.

Heat rushed through the poor young man's head at her overwhelming display. Movies and real-life were entirely different! He didn't know where to look so instead chose to direct his eyes elsewhere. Kazehana pouted then.

All the while Miya was having fun observing them.

" _It's like watching a cougar cornering an elk."_

Things were the same throughout dinner with the occasional questions and answers from both sides. Kazehana was introduced to be Miya's cousin. It made sense to Minato with the both of them being beautiful in their own right. She was also an employee of MBI.

When questioned if Kazehana knew his mother or not, she dismissively answered, "I know her through work but not much."

When it was her turn to ask about his career, Minato was happy to go into details, and she listened attentively with a fond smile. All the while, trying to keep from throwing herself at him.

"Will you be staying in the city from now on? I can give you a ride back home," Minato offered with a desperate yet hopeful look on his face.

Kazehana got butterflies in her stomach, a novel experience for her.

Many men gave her such look during her travels, all out of lust and related motives. She disregarded them all, sometimes with disgust. But from Minato, it was out of concern and fear. He was afraid that she would disappear the next morning, like she did years ago.

It was the very opposition of being manly. Yet she found some unseen gravity well pulled her to him, both as a Sekirei and a woman.

Pressing one finger on his chapped lips to make him stop, she fully took in his facial features. Gone were the traces of boyhood. She could feel the slight stubbles under his chin despite his clean-shaven job. He had a strong jaw but carried a kind, vulnerable expression. His tousled black hair grown a bit longer than she remembered. But that was fine, it add to his charm and fit him well.

"I'm not going anywhere, lover boy," she cooed as her hand caressed his face. "I always stay here whenever I visit. So it's only natural I spend the night here… preferably in your room."

" _ **Absolutely not."**_ Miya appeared between them with her hannya mask out in the open. "An unmarried couple sharing the same room is forbidden here in Maison Izumo!"

"You know," Takehito said, chiming in from his seat by the table, still watching the news, "the nearest Registry Office is just around the corner."

"Takehito-san! Don't encourage them! _**Kazehana, don't even think about it!**_ "

The sound of chattering went on till late night at Maison Izumo. Nobody noticed the younger Sahashi taking pictures with her phone. Most were focused on her brother's girlfriend, at a specific body part, too.

She picked out a 'safe' picture to send to her mother with a message.

" _Onii-san's girlfriend came back! ∑(O_O!) She's really beautiful!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the observation room of MBI HQ, Sahashi Takami was enjoying a hot cup of coffee with heavy whipped cream, just the way she liked it. The newest batch of Sekirei received from Kamikura were doing well under Asama's adjusting.

She was still concerned for Number Six though. The poor Sekirei was very confused about his or her sexuality, not to mention the possibility of not being winged at all. Even after finding an Ashikabi… his gender would be shaped to fit their sexual orientation.

As far as Takami understood, it equaled being alive but not living at all. She wished she could do more for them.

Then there was her son, the mistake she made all those years ago had driven Minato to seek a his own path. He was successful in life but hopelessly in love with a woman no one knew existed but him. No amount of persuasion or arranged meetings could make her son forget and move on.

"I wish whoever that girl is, she would come back already…"

She didn't expect her wish to come true, certainly not as a message from her daughter.

The moment her eyes set on the picture, the cup of coffee fell off her hand and shattered on impact.

Everyone inside the observation chamber stopped what they were doing, even forgetting to breathe. The deadly silence stretched on with the exception of their boss's footsteps. Only when the door closed behind her did they dare to resume breathing.

Unknown to them, the only reason Takami held her fury was the fact that Number Three were not winged… yet. Her mind was working up a plan to keep that from happening. The picture of Sekirei Number Three being lovey dovey with her son imprinted on her mind.

 _Like I'll ever let that happen! Not on my watch, Kazehana!_

Too consumed by anger and fear, Takami never noticed Minato's expression in the picture: the way he was looking at the woman resting against his person, how truly happy he was, finally being together with the girl he'd waited on.

* * *

For the first night in three years, Minato slept peacefully without any kind of dream haunting him. He had a deep, satisfied rest, waking up to the sound of his phone's alarm system. Removing one hand from hugging his pillow, he swiped the phone off just to resume hugging the soft, warm cotton against him.

Minato let out an animal like yawn as his fingers dug against the smooth, soft flesh, his whole body stretched out as his grip tightened-

…

Since when did his pillow have a smooth, soft, flesh-like texture?

"Iyan~ Minato-kun, how bold."

His eyes snapped open so fast that it hurt. A sea of purple hair filled his sight. Loosening his grip and letting out a audible gulp, Minato looked down to see a pair of amethyst eyes gazing back at him.

He blinked several time to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "... K-Kazehana...san?"

"Morning to you too, Minato-kun." Her voice made him tremble, involuntarily. "Expecting someone else?"

Shaking his head in answering, Kazehana only chuckled, using his moment of confusion to flipped their position over, ending with her straddling his torso.

Very much like how she straddled him when they first met. But this time, with less obstructing clothes.

Minato's eyes traveled from her alluring face to her delicate collar bone and then to her breasts. Free from their confinements, they sat lower, more natural and perfectly molded to her hourglass figure. He realized then, the woman before him might as well be a goddess reincarnated if there ever was one.

Noticing the effect she had on him, Kazehana sensually put her hands on his bare chest while stretching her body along his own, her bottom pressing suggestively against the bulge under his briefs. A sweet moan escaped her lips at the friction between their sweet spots.

The way her body bent against his, her bare breasts thrusting out at him, invitingly. Such sights were too much for any man to bear, let alone a virgin like him. Letting out a moan from the sudden simulation, Minato put his hands on her thighs to stop Kazehana from moving.

"W-Wait! This-this is too fast! I don't-"

" _ **Sahashi-kun."**_

The sliding door to his room suddenly moved. They both froze and looked over to see Miya holding a drawn sword of all things! Her hannya mask looked scarier than ever! They could also spot a blushing Yukari standing there, peeking from behind her hands.

They were caught in the most compromising position one could ever have!

" _ **I hope you both have a good explanation for this."**_

* * *

One hour passed, one of sitting seiza and enduring Miya's lecture about forbidden and indecent acts, all the while her husband was holding back his mirth with shaking shoulders. With her tirade finished, they were finally set free and allowed to have breakfast.

Yukari hitched a ride with Takehito on his MBI personal transportation, a black limousine. Minato calmed his nerves and ask his girlfriend out on a date with all the local hotspots for couple written on his notebook. His plans were foolproof but then again… No plan survives the actual battle.

At the amusement park.

" _ **We are regretful to inform you that all couple rides, including the Ferris wheel and Tea Cup ride…. Are all out of commission today!"**_

The announcer's voice was heard by the whole crowd, mixing with the disappointed groaning of young couples including Minato's. It was a disaster for him. What else could they enjoy? The Merry-Go-Round? Really?

While the young man was wracking his plan to come up with way to save their date, Kazehana's attention was directed at a certain dome.

"Nee, Minato-kun, ever try ice-skating?"

* * *

Inside the amusement park's Administrating Office, the director of the place put down the speaker in his hand before turning to face the director of MBI in all but name.

"I hope that was satisfactory, Sahashi-san."

"Indeed it was." Flicking her cigarette above the ashtray, the white-haired woman nodded approvingly. "Thank you for your cooperation. MBI will repay you accordingly. Just make sure that my son and that witch never stay alone with each other."

Takami knew Kazehana only listened to two people, one being Number One and the other being Minaka. The man was very strict about keeping the existence of Sekirei a secret before the Sekirei Plan officially got into action. Kazehana would not dare to let herself become exposed by getting winged in public.

"Director, they entered the Ice-skating dome."

"Put the image on."

"Roger, showing on the main screen."

Everyone looked up just in time to see the curvaceous female doing the impossible _Quadruple Salchow_ jump, perfectly?! She landed gracefully followed by a smooth slide, going back to the Sahashi boy. Who was tumbling on all fours, like a cat stuck on ice for the first time.

"Someone get me that recording! At every angle possible! I want it compiled and sent to the Olympic Office asap!" bellowed the Director to his employees.

Everyone on the office were fussing over the fact that Kazehana did the most impossible maneuver in the history of Ice-Skating.

All ò them ignored Takami, whose face was currently a mixed between anger and amazement, which turned into a weird twitching expression. Then her eyes set on her son's nervous but clearly happy expression, hand-in-hand with the Sekirei as they moved through the ice stage, gathering the attention of everyone on it.

Many looked because of Kazehana's voluptuous figure, some in jealousy, others out of lust… A few others, like her at that moment, simply looking because of the happy glow surrounding the young couple. She couldn't help but held back a chuckle when her son flipped over and landed on his ass. A silly smile spotted on his face as the beautiful Sekirei helped him get back on his feet.

" _What am I doing?..."_

* * *

During the next week, their dates always ran into some kind of obstacles, but every cloud had a silver lining.

"I'm sorry, our establishment is closed due to technical problems," said the manager of a Karaoke store.

The couple went to watch a baseball match instead, which… didn't turn out great. It seemed despite having a flamboyant personality, Kazehana did not enjoy the loud and energetic atmosphere of the stadium nor the sport activity. Minato took note and promise to ask for her opinion before going anywhere from that time on.

"The entire lake is reserved for a private party, please come back another time," the caretaker of the paddle boats told them.

They hit the arcade at the nearest supermarket. Minato got to show off his strength with a high striker game while Kazehana dominated the dance machine area. They went home later along with a few mementos from the claw machine, just to show how nimble Minato could be with his fingers.

Kazehana secretly hoped it wasn't just with machines he could work that magic on.

* * *

While Minato was having the time of his life, his mother was not.

Drumming her fingers in rhyme, Takami was projecting the image of a lioness waiting to jump its nearest prey. Not a single soul dared to approach her when she was in this kind of mood. The best they could do was send a text message to her phone in case there were new reports or forms to be signed. Then, bring them over when she commanded so.

Her patience was wearing thin, both from the uneffective sabotages she pulled and from seeing the Sekirei and her son fit quite well as a couple.

It just like years before, how Minato sought his own path. Stubborn, just like his father.

"Playtime's over." She spoke with finality, and extinguished the cigarette on the table. "I'll go there and see for myself how serious these two think they are..."

* * *

"It's a bit tight on the shoulders, but moveable."

"You do have wider shoulders than I do, Minato. Now hands up, here goes the cummerbund belt."

Minato raised his hands, allowing his landlord to wrap the strange piece of clothing around his waist. On the ground below, laid a tuxedo coat and the hair tie he always worn on his neck.

They were going out to a formal dinner that night. Strangely, their reservation was not rejected and guaranteed to not be cancelled under any circumstances. The service pack included transportation by a black sedan back and forth. It was costly, but he was willing to pay that much for a classy night at the top dance floor restaurant in Shinto Teito, one rumored to be built under the order of the President of MBI himself.

Minato had his own set of dress pants and suit, but while on his way to join Kazehana in the car waiting for them, he had suddenly been caught by the back of his neck. It was Takehito. The slim scientist was surprisingly strong with the way he'd hauled Minato to his room.

A classic tuxedo suit was pushed upon him, probably from the married couple's wedding day. The white-haired man insisted on it and refusal was simply not allowed.

After several minutes of struggling...

"Hmm…" Takehito looked him up and down with one hand resting under his chin. "Not too shabby, I guess."

"Right, thanks for the vote of confidence," said Minato, his voice full of sarcasm but still possessed some appreciation in it. "I don't see a problem with my suit but well, thanks again, for everything."

A devil smirk formed on the older man's lips. "Thank me later when you've both had a good night. Take a room if need be, hm? You know how strict Miya can be when it come to illicit acts between unmarried couples."

Heat rushed to Minato's head at the landlord's implication. He walked out of the house, ignoring the teasing laugh directed at him. The driver was standing by. He closed the door when Minato sat comfortably inside the vehicle.

"Hello there gorgeous."

He swore she was purring then; her voice rang inside the dark space before him. "My, aren't we looking handsome tonight?"

When his eyes finally got used to the dark… he froze.

She sat there in a purple velvet dress. The silk material ran along the curves of her body, slid open midway down her thighs, revealing her toned, creamy legs. His eyes moved from her purple heels back up to her low-cut top, giving him a generous view of her cleavage.

Enchanted, he moved over to her side, taking one hand to plant a kiss on the back while locking eyes with hers. The same amount of makeup as everyday and the same hairstyle let down to drape over her shoulders.

Yet Kazehana looked even more beautiful that night.

"Did I ever tell you," he breathed, eyes never leave her person, "how wonderful of a woman you are?"

A playful smiled form on her kissable lips.

"As a matter of fact, you did, under the same sky long ago."

* * *

They were directed to a table positioned right next to the dance floor. The ceiling, built using MBI's most advantage technology, was totally see-through, giving its patrons the feeling of being under a universe full of stars.

Despite all those tech upgrades, the restaurant retained it classic feeling with a jazz band and an age-old songstress.

Such a luxury place, full of high-class etiquette and manners, would render a normal person too nervous to enjoy the food. Let alone its classy, romantic air.

But both he and Kazehana took it in stride, acting as if such thing was a part of their everyday activity.

Kazehana had learned about etiquette and table manners from her travels and sampling every kind of food all around Japan. Minato studied under his grandmother's instruction, whom Kazehana found out during that meal was an authentic Oujo-sama from a traditional family.

"Grandma fell in love with her servant, who is my grandpa." The story was told between meal. "In spite of her family's objection, grandpa took grandma with him and ran south, never looking back. Though what I heard from mother is different, grandma blackmailed grandpa instead or so..."

Kazehana let out a hearty laugh. She could totally imagine it seeing how the Sahashi women always took the reign with the men being lead by the nose.

"How's your family, Kazehana-san?"

"Mou, how formal. To answer your question: I don't have one. I'm an orphan," she answered matter-of-factly. _Though I do have a hundreds brothers and sisters destined to fight against each other till the last one remains. Even then..._

The last part she kept to herself, until time deemed it necessary for Minato to know.

Seeing him retreated back to his usual timid self because of her answer, Kazehana smiled and told him to talk about his family. She wanted to know more.

As time went by and they both had their fill, slightly intoxicated with alcohol. Kazehana dragged him out onto the dance floor. "I hope you know how to dance, Minato-kun."

He chuckled, boldly wrapped one hand around her waist. The alcohol did its job quite well on boosting his confidence. "Does waltz count as dancing?"

They held each other in slow motion, swaying gently to the music in the background, feeling their body heat mix together. Their nervousness and anxiety, gone, replaced with feelings that every couple felt when being together. Safe, and loved.

 _I stare at the stars and the sky up above  
and think 'what am I made of?'_

"Kazehana." He whispered into her ear as they rested against each other in a slow embrace. "Why me? Why pick me out of the people who would no doubt give you more than I ever could?"

 _Here comes the question_ , she thought. It was time for both of them to come clean then.

"Why did you wait for _me_ , then? How long would it be before you decided to move on? Forever and ever?" One might took her questioning as jabs, but a few others would pick up the meaning in her wording.

"Probably because I wanted to believe that you'd come back someday." he admitted with a sad, lonely smile. "That night, you gave me a glimpse of hope. Whether that turns out to be the love I thought it was, or just another painful lesson… I will never regretted waiting for you."

 _Am I full of sorrow? Am I hurt and pained?  
Or am I filled... with love?_

Before he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks, Kazehana pushed herself against him, their feet still moving in a circle with the slow jazz music. Instinctively, Minato tightened his hold on her, feeling content at the moment.

 _It's there that I'll find  
Inner peace not war  
and dreams that I let slip away_

"I fell in love with a man before you. A married man." It was her turn to come clean. "He rejected me because he was committed to the woman he loves, both body and soul."

She waited for any kind of reaction from him, anger, shock, betrayal….

"Do you still love him?" His words came out strained, yet betrayed nothing but how much he cared for her feelings. "Do you want to… go to him?"

 _I'll find the joyfulness I'm looking for  
way back in yesterday_

She looked up at him, their eyes locking in a deep gaze. "If I still do, would you let me go?"

The movements of his feet stopped; his hands kept holding on to her form.

 _Why can't each of us in the world ever see,  
the best things in life are free_

Minato closed his eyes, trembling in fear, anger, and lastly, sorrow. He should have expected something like this to happen. Such beautiful things, too good to be real. She was too perfect to be his, nor was he fit to be hers. But still, alas, he would not run. He would see the night through and let it end with a smile befitting a beautiful dream.

 _Little sounds of laughter, a warm hug, a smile,  
a kiss from you to me_

"...Only if you want to… Only if you ask." His chin trembled with each word, eyes glistening with tears threatened to fall at any moment. "I'm not very good at reading what others want, or think... Just say the words." One could hear the plea in his voice.

 _I fall to my knees  
I cry and I cry  
Love, do not pass me by_

One would find his decision absurd. Three years waiting, yet he was willing to let her go, just because she asked to. But it wasn't out of weakness. It was out of his love for her.

There was no happiness to find in an unwilling relationship. He would let her go or hold onto her for eternity. All he needed then, was to hear the words coming from her lips.

 _Happy ever after, please stay for a while  
make time refuse to fly~_

Kazehana decided then. Sahashi Minato was the one for her. Both as an Ashikabi and a husband. Her hand reached up to wipe away his stray tears, much like she did years ago. Then she whispered, quietly, so no one hear them but the sky,

" _Love me, tonight and forever more."_

* * *

The young lovers checked in for room in the same building, using the MBI card belonging to Kazehana. The young man knew better than to refuse such a boon, considering his wage.

For one night at the most luxurious hotel in Shinto Teito, blue collar workers like him could only dream. Pride and ego weren't his strong traits, anyway. Not with the woman he loved swooning at his side.

They knew what would come next and both were equally looking forward to it.

Before reaching the elevator, she held back, telling Minato to go ahead and wait for her. She wanted to grab a few things first before joining him. The young man gave her one of the key cards and disappeared behind the close door of the elevator.

"So, what do you want?... Takami." Her voice indifferent as she turned to face the white haired woman, still dressed in white shirt, gray pants and the white lab coat. "Haven't you heard enough?"

"So you noticed the bug. Not that I'm surprised." The mother admitted as a long line of smoke escaped her lips. "Did you truly mean what you said? What about the Sekirei Plan?"

"We both know Minato is no Minaka, Takami. That much I'm sure." Kazehana growled, as she didn't want to hear the same thing twice; once from Miya was enough. "It was an intense but one-sided admiration. It's still there. But for Minato, I find myself deeply in love with him. Not only as a Sekirei to an Ashikabi, but a woman to a man. About the Sekirei Plan... "

Kazehana clenched her fist. "When that happens, I will put everything on the line, to be the last one standing. If I were to fail then, it couldn't be helped, I guess. To love is to be selfish. You know that well, don't you?"

"Fine. What about the other Sekirei? Given his gene was strong enough to make a Single Number react to him, how would you deal with the fact that many more would throw themselves at Minato much like you did?"

"I don't have a problem with it." Kazehana waved off Takami's concern. The image of Minato and herself being lovey dovey with many other Sekirei flashed through her mind.

She flushed at the image, her body twisting in excitement. "The more the merrier. Love has no boundaries!"

Takami sweatdropped at the Sekirei's giddy act. But that only lasted for a moment.

"Besides, you really think Minato would have less a problem with that than I would?" the purple haired woman confidently stated. Then turned worry, letting out a sigh. "We both know I'll be doing the convincing instead. More likely he'll refuse a harem than cheating on me."

Kazehana smirked. "And that chance is next to zero."

"Of course. He is my son after all." Takami stood up proudly.

"You lost the right to say that after the thing you pulled on his exam three years ago." One could see Takami's pride shatter upon hearing those words. "Then again, it's how I met him. So I won't be complaining about that."

"Is that a fact?" Flicking her cigarette into the garbage can nearby, the mother turned away. "Never mind, I'll let you two be then."

"Another thing, Takami." The scientist stopped at Kazehana's beckoning. "I want to keep the Sekirei Plan a secret from him… At least until it officially starts. I want to enjoy this short moment of blissful ignorance."

"You know Minaka. He won't give a favor without asking something in return. Even for his own blood and family." with her head turned for a final look, Takami waved at her in goodbye. "But I'll do my best. No promises."

"Ufufu, thank you… mother-in-law~"

" _ **You still don't have my approval!"**_

* * *

The room he was in reminded him of the palaces belong to Arabian sultans or oil tycoons. The oriental designs were heavily implied at every corner, from the high rounded ceiling, to the ornamental furnitures and the king-sized bed in the master bedroom.

A testament to the wealth and power of the upper class. Immaculately elegant, formal, and cold.

The room was brightly lit, so he turned the light off. They were simply too bright, too yellowish for his taste. The moon's soft light was all he needed. The faint blue hue combined with the room's cool air were very soothing to him.

Sitting by the edge of the bed, his head turned over to the full moon outside the window. It was a beautiful night. The best night of his life, if things happened as he expected they would.

Minato pinched the place between his eyes, trying to remember all the things he picked up from smut novels and adult videos… and realized one problem.

" _None of those say anything about the first time!"_ He made a pose that was very much similar to Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'.

The young man's train of thought was cut short by the digital sound of the door being unlocked.

"Minato-kun~ Why is it so dark in here?"

"I turned the light off. Let me help you." With his eyes already adjusted to the moonlit room, he took hold of her hand and guided her to the bed. "Here you go. Sorry, yellow lights irritate me."

"And here I thought you were trying to ambush me in the dark." She teased him, her own eyes slowly adjusting to the dark and the moonlight from the windows. "I admit, it gives a good atmosphere. Now for a toast."

Kazehana gave him a glass and poured the drink for both of them. The sound of glasses clinking echoed in the silent room. The liquor tasted slightly sweet with the smell of herb and cherry wood.

Whiskey, he recognized, a Hibiki brand. He could feel the liquid gradually warmed him up, starting from the inside of his mouth, down his throat then to the pit of his stomach… and elsewhere.

They each had one drink.

Minato saw the way Kazehana held on to her empty glass and decided to take the initiative. Playing by the book was not an option anymore. So he decided to act as his instinct told him so.

He took the glass from her, putting it on the table near them before planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"I love you. I really do."

His words affected her as she gently squeezed her fingers around his. Closing the distance between them, his lips moved at her. His eyes closed in prepared for their first kiss.

She stopped him with a finger upon his lips.

"Nee, Minato-kun. Can you promise me three things?" A look of confusion flashed through the young man's eyes, but he nodded anyway.

"One: no kissing in public. Two: keep your eyes closed whenever we kiss. And three: ...Please don't ask why. I'll explain everything when the time comes. Promise?"

His mind worked through each promise, seeing no harm in any of them. For all he knew, Kazehana could be shy. But she seemed very serious about him keeping it. Maybe a year or two, then? They had all the time in this world anyway.

"I promise, Kazehana."

"Close your eyes then, Minato."

His eyes shut tight for that whole night. He felt the bed under him shift. Next came the rustling sound of fabric. She moved on to him, hands sliding up his chest and into his hair, her fingers tangled in his soft tousled locks.

They shared a passionate kiss. The tip of her tongue swiped lovingly between the crack of his lips, demanding entrance to the inside of his mouth.

"Nnghh?!" He was caught off guard. But it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. "Kaze-mhph!"

They parted for a moment with Minato attempted to say something. Kazehana used the opening to resume her assault on him. With both hands cupping his face, she kissed him deeply. Her tongue, wet with saliva, invaded his mouth.

Minato shuddered at the feeling of her tongue caressing his teeth, tapping against the tip of his tongue, invitingly. Hesitantly, he put his own tongue out in response.

So sweet and hot… He felt like he was going to melt.

Slowly, her hungry kiss became gentler and finally, they separated. He couldn't help but imagine a trail of saliva still connecting them. He was panting hard, and so was she, both from the lack of air and the euphoria born from their intense lip-lock.

Minato finally realized that he was laying on the bed with Kazehana straddling him. When did that happen? He never knew. All he could think about, was that he had the greatest first kiss ever.

Minato wondered how she looked like then. Perhaps a peek?

A hand covered his opening eyes; a feminine giggle followed. "Peeking at a girl in such a scandalous position? Naughty Minato-kun~."

Then again, better not to.

Call him superstitious if you wanted to. But the last thing Minato wanted to experience is the pain of Orpheus losing his wife, Eurydice, just because he couldn't wait to see her again. Stupid, but worth enduring in exchange for one's peace of mind.

Plus, no sight meant every nerve of his brain was focused on her seductive sounds, her fine-liquor smell.

The sensational touch of her exquisite body.

Gently, she placed her fingers over his cheek before trailing over to touch his lower lip, her nails pressing down almost painfully on him.

"Can you feel it, the fire raging inside us?" Her voice sounded so mystified, like she was in a trance, chanting a spell in a ritual. And he was her sacrifice. "My feelings for that person, burning down, fading to ashes. All because of you. Thank you, Minato. Your love set me free."

A strong light leaked through the lids of his eyes, but he never opened them.

"Number Three, Kazehana, I pledge the wind of my love to you, eternally, now and forever." As it was meant to be.

Though Minato no longer capable of responding anymore. He had no idea what happened, only that his body suddenly got hotter and hotter the moment Kazehana made that pledge. He couldn't think clearly anymore.

Was this what they called getting turned on? Aroused? Oversexed?! It didn't matter anymore! There was only one thing on Minato's mind at that moment.

* * *

"Kyaa!"

Kazehana was rudely dragged out of her trance from getting winged. She found herself being pushed down by her Ashikabi then, his eyes still closed. An animalistic look on him. He was panting, his hands planted on both sides of her head, locking her in place

"Kazehana, I want you... I really want you."

Her whole body shivered. He wasn't asking permission, Minato was declaring his intention to her. It wouldn't matter if she tried to deny it; he knew she'd be lying. There was no stopping her Ashikabi from claiming his Sekirei.

Without waiting for her to answer, Minato put his face down. His mouth found her neck, huffing with lust and working its way up her lips. They re-enacted their first kiss once more but with Minato taking control instead.

"Kazehana… Stick out your tongue."

Happy to comply, she let her tongue lolling from her open mouth, allowing him to suck on it, caressing it with his own tongue.

"Haa... Minato...Mnn…" Kazehana sighed in content, enjoying her Ashikabi's rough kissing.

Undaunted, she strongly embraced him back. She called out his name while he digillently licked each and every inch of her mouth, even her gums.

"Kazehana... I can't stop… I won't be able to hold myself back." He gasped out between kisses.

"Then don't." She looked at him, eyes were moist and enchanted with him. "I gave you..mmng... my first kiss. Which do you want next? Because… everything is yours to take."

He was still kissing her insistently. One kiss after another. Saliva dripping from their chins with wet, slurping noise. When they separated, a transparent thread hung in between.

"I love you… I love you… _Ashikabi-sama_."

She took his hand and directed it at her chest, letting him feel how fast her heart was beating.

He paused. They were so soft and springy. He could feel her heart thumping under her voluminous breasts, even through the fabric of her dress.

Realizing Minato's intent, Kazehana slipped the dress off her shoulders. At the same time, she reached behind and unhooked her bra . Her breasts jiggled from being set free. Her hands put up so that he could remove it for her. Every movement of hers caused them to shake provocatively. What a show he'd be missing, if his hands weren't seeing it for him.

Minato didn't waste anytime, heartily massage her bare breasts. So soft yet firm, the moist skin stuck to his fingers like they were marshmallows.

"Ooh, Minato... touch me." she moaned. "Touch me more. Ah! Harder."

Kazehana was gasping from the sensation, seeing her Ashikabi playing with her breasts like that of a child, rolling the nipples between his fingers, both hands possessively felt her up, kneading roughly. He looked so adorable trying to feel her up with both eyes shut.

She was getting so aroused.

Then so was Minato. She could feel the shape of his bulge, pressing against her abdomen, straining under the confinement of his dress pants.

With one hand clutching his hair, she reached out with the other one, cupping his bulging form.

"Nhg…"

She heard him grunting but keeping his focus on her breasts. Kazehana's fingers felt him up through his pants; squeezing and jerking; feeling him getting bigger and harder under her teasing. She could almost hear the growling sound mixed in with his own voice.

When her nipples was already erect and perking up, the tip of his tongue came up, circling her areola before taking the bud into his mouth.

Kazehana moaned loudly at the sudden suction, her head thrown back onto the bed, her torso thrusting out, giving Minato a better position. Her grip on his pants released, instead clutching on him by his shoulder, to keep her balance.

He plucked at her nipples, alternating between them. With his hands free, he stuck one under her dress.

"Ah… That's-Mn-Ah!" Her body jerked under him.

His fingers, wet and sticky from touching the fabric covering her private part. She was already soaking set. Pressing and sliding his fingers against it, he could almost feel the warmth coming from her core. Kazehana was totally prepared for him then…

But Minato wanted to feel her up even more.

* * *

He lubricated his fingers with Kazehana's love juice. Slipping her panties off and letting them hang on one leg, he started caressing her directly. He stroked her, as if washing her clean, feeling a sticky nectar flowed into his hand, coating his fingers even more.

"Minato. Nngh! You're touching- ! Iya. This feeling… I can't-"

All the while his lover panted between suctioned breath, her whole body shaking at what he was doing to her. To be near an Ashikabi was enough to drive a Sekirei weak at the knees. To be caressed directly like this. It was too much. Her mind was melting.

When he slipped one finger past the ivory gates, she cried out in ecstasy, her whole body trembling.

" ...AHH!~ hah.. oh.."

Minato licked her earlobe, sticking his wet tongue inside her ear hole.

His finger started moving gently about, switching back and forth between thrusting and swirling motion. While his thumb reached out at the doorbell, ringing it constantly.

"Hwah! Mi-Minato!...Ooh!"

"You are really sensitive here, Kazehana." Applying more pressure on his thumb, he felt her tightening on his finger. "You really love this finger, don't you?"

"Mina..to… you're- no fair... How come- iyan!." Her whole body jumped when a second finger joined in, slowly, exploring. He took her lips for a deep kiss.

"Ah! It-it hurts!" she whimpered through their kiss.

He stopped immediately, removing his fingers from newly broken ground, setting one gentle kiss on her lips with a guilty expression.

"Sorry, I went too far."

That one single word from her helped Minato regain his tranquility. He wanted to tease her, not hurt her. That would left a bad taste on their first night.

Finger traversing her wonder down-under, he continued to stimulate the area around her soon-to-be geyser, gently, caressing her breasts with his other free hand while making wet slurping sounds from their kissing

Soon, Kazehana started moaning from the stimulus, again. Her eyes dulled with pleasure, her whole body jumped whenever he pulled her nipples, pressed on her sensitive top or stroked her sweet spot.

Minato increased the movement of his thumb, his index finger rubbing against a specific spot repeatedly. The effect was instantaneous.

"Ah, no, I can't-I can't take anymore of this-ah! AH!"

Simultaneously, he gripped her captive buds, with his teeth taking hold of her other nipple. Applying pressure to all of them at the same moment...

"AAAAH!"

Kazehana _screamed_ , her body coiling back from the pleasure, her muscles tightening at an incredible rate, like she meant to tear off his finger. A few seconds after she reached her peak, Kazehana's strength was drained from her body, lying still on the bed.

"How was it? Did you enjoy it?" Minato asked in earnest, finger winding around her areola

"Haa…" Her whole body twitched, so eager for his touch. "Aren't you… a virgin?"

"I studied a bit in preparation." He was so eager to please her, to the point of overdoing it! "There's still more. Let me show you."

Before she could voice her question, Minato was already between her legs. He brought his mouth to her and began cleaning her out.. She could feel him lapping at her, the tip of his nose pushing against her skin. Her whole body went stiff at the sudden stimulation, for she was still very sensitive after the first peak.

"Mi-Minato! Don't-ahn! I can't take it!"

"Yes you can," he slurped, making her cry out once more. "You smell wonderful… and tasty as well."

She clawed at her face to hide her shame and kept herself from crying out loud. He flicked his tongue, sucking on her; it nearly brought her to another climax.

When his tongue tread the ground his fingers had blazed before, it cost Kazehana every ounce of her remaining strength to keep from convulsing.

After he was done stirring her crazy with his god-gifted tongue, the Sekirei felt like a doll with its strings cut off. What a beast.

If he was this good with his hands and mouth, she dread what he could do with his manliest part.

As if reading her mind, she heard the sound of clothes hitting floor. Turning her head she found her Ashikabi with shirt opened and his pants gone. No room for doubt: he was _definitely_ a man.

And Kazehana was a virgin, so she didn't have experience when it come to actual intercourse. But one thing she was sure of: Minato's size was definitely above-average in terms of Japanese scale.

Minato put himself between her legs once again.

"Are-are you feeling prepared now? Was the foreplay sufficient?" His nervous expression turned to one of awkwardness as Minato realized the stupidity of his own questions. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what I'm saying anymore."

Even after what he'd done to her... No. In actuality, everything the young man did was for her benefit. He cared about her feelings and physical pain more than his own arousal.

"I'm no more experienced than you are, Minato., she admitted with a hint of shyness.

"... Wait what? You're a virgin, too?" His brows shot up in surprise, his eyes kept close. "I-I thought… I'm sorry, I'll be gentle as much as I can."

 _So he was trying to please me thinking I'm an experienced woman… That's so cute!_

He gave her an encouraging kiss before gently turning her over, her butt sticking out at him. Minato took the opportunity to strip her. His hands sliding on her back, rolling the piece of fabric off her body. Such silky smooth skin, he wanted to open his eyes, to take in this goddess's bare body… But he promised himself. And his imagination was already running wild with his memory.

His hands traveled along her back, scooping up her raven locks, smelling them while feeling the smooth skin under his palm. Her petals pressing against his pulsating trunk, lubricating it with her own nectar.

Finally feeling prepared, he directed himself at her, feeling them connect in the most sacred way. He could hear her whimpering softly. He reminded himself that first time shouldn't be dragged on.

He gripped at her sides, steadying himself before diving deep in one stroke. Minato felt something pop, and a trickle down his thigh.

"Aaaah!-" Kazehana cried out in pain. Her hands gripped the bed sheets so hard, almost tearing them. "It's… you're… too thick…"

Her whole body shook at the sudden, violent intrusion. He filled her up, stretching her still. It was hard to breathe. She couldn't relax herself, resulting in her clenching up so much that Minato could not contain himself.

"Guh! Kazehana! I'm-"

His body jerking and grunting as he marked her as his.

"Argh… You're, inside me-" the beauty whimpered softly, tears flowed freely down her cheeks, both from the pain and the strange sensation inside her. "...hot… ugh… Mina...to."

After his own climax ended, Minato noticed her light sobbing and became worried. But when he questioned her well-being...

"This pain… is the proof of our love," was her answer to him. "Please don't let it hinder you."

Even if it was inevitable, he still felt guilty, hurting her so. Minato decided to give her another round of foreplay. He lifted her up, sitting backward on his lap, careful not to shift more than necessary. Then he started planting kisses on her neck, sucking gently. His hands caressed her body again, trying to stimulate her once more before they continued.

Kazehana sighed and sank into his lap. Her voice no longer carried the tone of pain in it. Her pot of nectar, which could only accept him from before, began to caress his part, wrapping on him on its own.

Kazehana even tried to move herself, her waist pushing up and down along his length.

"Mmn, I'm fine now… You can move, however you want." It almost sounded like she was taunting him.

And her tongue flicking the lobe of his ear confirmed it.

Putting her face down on the bed, Minato started moving at a slow, steady pace.

"Oooh… Mina..to. You're amazing."

Kazehana shivered each time he rubbed at her sweet spots, even pushing back, grinding against him. She must've been very sensitive, already started enjoying the act of love-making.

Decided to kick things up a bit, Minato slowly drew back, making Kazehana moan and press her thighs together at the sensation.

His hands came around to squeeze her breasts. "How does _this_ feel?" he whispered hotly, before-

"Ugh! So deep! It's so deep!" His next thrust earned him a pleasured squeak. " Oh Kami! Ahn! Minato! Ha-Harder! Minato!"

He repeated the process several times more, aiming at different angles.

Minato knew he was reaching his own limit, feeling the core of his abdomen tighten. Taking hold of her ripened ass, the young man started slapping his hips against hers in long, powerful thrusts. The sound of flesh on flesh echoed in the room.

Kazehana arched her back, clawing at the blankets.

"MINATO!" She screamed in pleasure, fists tightened on the sheet below her. "You're being- ngh - rough! Mn! So rough-!"

Her words failed to reach his ears. All Minato sensed was her supple, nubile flesh, bouncing and jiggling with each thrust. He loved the way she moved under him, jerking back and forth, writhing with pleasure.

With those thoughts fueling his inner sight, Minato started applying his own weight on his movement, reaching deep into her deepest part. All while chanting her name like that of a mantra.

"Kazehana. Kazehana. Kazehana!"

His rough voice and forceful movements finally pushed the Sekirei over the edge. Her eyes began roll back in her head; it was all she could do to remember to inhale. Her mind was mush, on the verge of passing out from sheer, erotic bliss.

"Don't let up," she panted weakly. "Stronger. Faster! Oh, _right there!_ "

Wet slapping sounds reverberated in the room, mixing with the man's grunting and the woman's muffled moaning.

Her legs began to give out. Her groin began inching down, getting closer and closer to kissing the soaked bed sheets.

Immediately one hand left her breast, hooking her waist and hauling her up until he was thrusting _her_ against _him_. His crotch was damp with her fluids, tricking down between them.

Minato was being too rough on her. The way he stretched her out, wearing her like a condom, strong arms slamming her butt against his hips. The tip of his meat knocking on the inside of her womanhood, demanding entrance to her most inners part. The pain mixing with pleasure flooded Kazehana's mind.

"Minato," she cried weakly, " I'm feeling … weird… I'm gonna cum. I'm cumming!~"

That was the last coherent thing she said, before her mind blanked and she lost control of her body.

Minato nearly lost it himself, gritting his teeth to stay focused. "Tight… it's-" he grunted. "-squeezing me…"

But even as she was in the middle of her own climax, stiffened and spasming, Minato never stopped thrusting, seeking his own release. Rocking her body with his like a ragdoll.

"Kazehana!"

His urge to ejaculate finally reached its limit. Minato wrapped his arms around her stomach and forcefully pressed her against him. He felt something give, like he'd taken her virginity a second time. His mouth opened wide, aiming down at her delicate shoulder.

She felt him bite down on her flesh...

"Mina- ha, ahn...! _AAAHH!_ " .

It was too much! Panicked at the sudden unimaginable pleasure and pain, her instinct caused Kazehana's body to react as it should: getting away.

But her Ashikabi's strong grip around her stomach preventing it from happening.

Her body struggled against his death grip, her nails digging and pulling on the bed sheets. Her legs stretched out, trying to push herself from under him. Still he held her there, beneath him, his teeth grinding against her flesh, his manly part forcing her open, painting her white…

"...ah...uhn...hahh." Weak sound came from her lips each time his hips rocked against her.

Kazehana's panicked reactions subsided as fast as they appeared. She no longer struggled against his hold, choosing to lay still and let Minato take his claim on her. Minato might not have intended to, but he was literally marking her as his.

Feeling his climax come to an end, Minato pulled himself free with a wet popping sound. His junk stood erect, like an unsated beast, hungry for more. He put one hand on her back, feeling her body quiver slightly.

The image of a naked, vulnerable-looking Kazehana came to his mind. Lying helplessly on the bed before him, tangled in a sheet of satin white, sweats running along her back, moist skin reflecting under the moonlight... so lovingly fragile… So ravishing. He had to see it himself!

* * *

Moaning softly, Kazehana curled up on her side, eyes fluttering to wash away her tears. Her senses finally returned after the relentless assault of pleasure. The Sekirei tried to move her lower body, but only managed to shudder at the sensation between her legs. She felt so numb, so sticky. Drained.

"Hyaa?!" Suddenly, Kazehana found herself flipped over to her back.

That was when she saw her Ashikabi, still seated between her. His hands grabbed both her legs, spreading her wide.

"Mi-Minato? Aah!" He was rubbing against her raw sex, his tip scraping her swollen bud.

His mouth hung open with a hungry look, his breathing rough and uneven. He wanted more from her, to be inside her once more, to calm the raging fire inside him.

"Minato... Please, ahn!..no more." She begged; her private part burned from the intense first time.

He was about to hurt the woman he loved. But hearing her weak, shaky voice, all of it adding to the mental image in his mind... Unbridled lust swarmed Minato's dark vision. He instinctively let out a low rumbling sound. Minato decided to use another way to calm his arousal.

Putting his meat against her clitoris, Minato pressed her legs together and began rubbing himself in between her thighs.

His movement wasn't gentle like the beginning of their previous session. He practically slammed hips against her, hitting her soft, bouncy flesh.

The feeling was out of this world. Her thighs while being plump were unbelievable firm. They felt so good. He wrapped his arms around her legs, hugging them close to his chest. The cool flesh contrasted with his hot body.

"Kazehana," he sucked on her leg. "You're amazing. I can't have enough of you."

All the while, his hips moving back and forth, desperately seeking the release needed to calm himself down. And totally unaware of the pleasure he was putting Kazehana under, once again.

"Aah!~ Nng…Mhhn!" Her hands flew to her mouth to keep from screaming in unrelenting euphoria. Minato kept scraping against her clitoris, sending her into orgasm, one after another. Kazehana never thought there would be a day she admitted that too much love or pleasure was harmful.

Finally, she felt him thrust between her thighs in a frantic manner, grunting with each stroke, dragging her body along with him. Strings of hot white goo spurted from between her closed legs all over her body, on her stomach, breasts and even Kazehana's face.

When it was all over, Minato released her, letting her legs dropped down on either sides of him. Still having the same hungry expression from before, his hand reached out, touching her breasts. He started smearing her front with the sticky substance he'd painted her with.

His other hand touched her all over, starting at her stomach, moving to shoulders and finally to her cheek, commiting to memory the gorgeous body of the woman he loved.

Finally satisfied with what he 'saw', Minato kept his hand on her face and guided his lips to hers, only closing his eyes at the last possible second; she was so beautiful.

They met with a modest, gentle kiss. Their lips touched for a mere second before separating. Light blazed above them as Kazehana's wings appear.

"I love you, Kazehana." he confessed once more that night.

"I... love you too, Minato." with little strength left in her body, Kazehana reached out and stroke his face. "Forever... and ever."

They both rested themselves on the bed, Minato spooning her from behind. Finally seeking rest after a hot passionate night.

It was truly a night to remember.

* * *

The next morning, Miya greeted them back home while sweeping the entrance to Maison Izumo.

"We're home!" Minato announced their presence after their ride rolled away.

"Ara, welcome home both of you. How was your night?" Miya tilted her head, a bit curious at what she saw. "You don't look too good there, Kazehana."

Said woman was being carried bridal style by her lover, her dress slightly shriveled. But the most noticeable thing was the blushing schoolgirl expression she had.

Was Kazehana being shy?!

Knowing how she usually act, it was a surprise to see the flirty woman was deep red, half her face hidden by her hand. The landlady had a feeling that the reason Kazehana was being carried was because she could barely stand on her own at that moment.

If all those emotions she felt from last night were right...

"It was a wonderful night!" Minato answered loud and clear, his smile lit brighter than ever. "We'll go and get changed now! I gotta thank Takehito-san for the suit! Please excuse me!"

In contrast to his Sekirei, Minato was full of vigor and oozing happiness with every step he took. It only made Kazehana turn redder, her hand on his shoulder tightening. All while being carried inside.

Miya let out a hearty laugh seeing Kazehana being modest for once. She was afraid that the young man would be affected by the 'Public Obscenity'. But it didn't seem to be the case.

Seeing Number Three acting submissive for the first time, Miya wondered: what actually transpired last night…?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Of course there will be lemon and sex! What do you think this is?! *slap* _A generic harem story?!_ *slap* I'm taking this fanfic serious here! *slap* Do tell me how do you feel about the lemon though. It would help making the next ones better.

 **Shout-out to my beta-reader for doing a great job, especially on the lemon scene!**

 **Beta's Note: Why, thank you.**

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 **Review Q &A:**

 **Bisaster** : This is an alternate universe so Musubi will be different but still very Musubi-ish. I hope that you will like her (if only a little bit) when she finally hit the stage :(

 **Kreceir** : While I'm a incest-con myself, there won't be any in this story. The foreshadowing is actually intended. The only hint I can give is _'Authority Holder'_

 _Beta's quip_ : Thank you in advance for not putting me through that.

 **Dozer** : I want to make this story a slice of life romance drama without making it lengthy. So I'm glad you find it 'great'. Because it means I've managed to achieve that!

 **MickDunD** : I hope this chapter is less confusing than the last one?

 **RP** : "Life is a journey, not a destination." - Ralph Waldo Emerson. And since this is a long chapter, I'll see you next month (cwl)

 **Primevere** : Thank you for your support, remember to check my profile for the link of this chapter's illustration!

 **DreamWeaverGod** : Are you perhaps a man of culture as well?! Uzume will show up along with Matsu after two or three chapters more as my script goes.

 **HanKanoya** : Glad that you enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it! Check my profile for the url to this chapter's illustration!

 **rosewillow narusasufangirl** : that's encouraging to know, thank you. This is an alternate universe so there will be a lot of changes. Look forward to it!

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 _ **OMAKE - EXTRA !  
**_ (Due to this being extra, it is not to be beta-ed)

" _Onii-san... Onii-san. Where are you?" sobbed little Yukari, all lost and alone in the forest next to their house. "I'm scared. Uhguh..hic.. Onii-san…"_

 _The sun almost set then, ray of oranges draped over the forest, streaking through the thick branches above. But being a child like she was, Yukari cannot find her way back through and were too scared of drifting further away from home._

 _So she sat down under a tree and cried, calling for her brother._

" _Yukari." she heard him calling. "Yukari!"_

 _He stepped out from behind the trees, looking around for her. The moment he saw her, the high schooler Minato jogged over to his little sister. He kneel and checked her all over._

" _Seriously, what are you doing out here alone?" Minato took out a pack of wet tissue from his uniform's pocket. "Next time grab grandma's phone or a ball of yarn, okay? It's embarrassing being lost in your own playground."_

 _The nine years old Yukari, despite being rescued by her big brother. Instead of feeling grateful._

 _She was angry at his flippant attitude._

"Stupid onii-san!" she cried out loud while standing up. Only to realize where she was then.

"Sahashi-kun, your brother-complex aside." her literature slash homeroom teacher reprimanded her with sing song tone. "Do refrain from sleeping in my class, hm?"

"Uguh. I'm sorry sensei." her cheeks reddened from the embarrassment. "It won't happen again."

Her classmates teased her a bit for that incident but never stress over it. It wasn't a secret that Yukari harbor affection for her big brother. Everyone in her class understood her feelings when they met him during the annual parents, teacher meeting.

He got the charm of a mature, paternal man. He was cool, calm and collected. But still manage to look cute under every females eyes. She knew her childish crush was that just a crush. They would never be together they way she wished to be.

But it is fine, she thought while running to the gate of her school.

As long as they are together. "Onii-san! Did I make you wait?"

"I just arrived. Let's go home." As long as her big brother still cared for her.

Nothing else matters.

"Minato-kun, open wide now~"

She witnessed her soon to be sister-in-law being lovey dovey with her brother at the dinner. Minato did not shy from it and took the bite. Then he returned the favor the same way.

Swallowing her food, mixed with her inner tears,

Yukari felt abandoned.

That must be the sign, she told herself. It was time for her to grown out of her childish crush and accept the fact. But it still hurt so much!

"Yukari-chan, say ahh~" her eyes shot open at hearing her name.

Kazehana-san was holding a piece of food with her chopsticks right before Yukari's face. The beautiful woman must be taunting her. With that alluring smile of her, that tender look on her face, the expectation in those eyes…

Yukari greedily accepted the food.

All the while a battle raged inside her. Though a fact remains: food tastes better when being fed by a pretty person. What is this feeling of jealousy rising up inside her? Why was it being directed at her brother but not his lover?

Yukari was utterly confused.

Why was that woman being so nice to her? Was there an ulterior motive? Trying bride her? Or a distraction just to strike when she wasn't careful? So confusing.

"Yukari-chan~" the buxom woman's voice came from behind the door to the bathroom. The shape of her voluptuous casted a shadow the paper screen. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Y-Yes!?" In her panicked moment, her question came out as a confirmation.

Soon the petite girl was sharing the bath with the drop dead gorgeous woman. She sunk in a corner, shooting jealous gaze at every parts on the other woman's body… She was flawless! Absolutely perfect at every scales and angles! Also that tattoo on the back of her neck, it put up a mystify charm to her goddess-like body… And Minato got to touch that body any time he wanted to.

Yukari was definitely jealous of her brother.

"You don't like me much, do you?" her direct question broke Yukari out of her trance. "I can understand. You two are close then suddenly another person appears and stole his attention from you."

"...Don't say things you don't know about. He still got times for me even after you arrived."

That came out more hostile Yukari thought it'd be. But she made her point clear.

"Ufufu, I'm glad to hear so. Nee, Yukari-chan-" the water shifted as Kazehana moved over to the young girl. "I really love your onii-san. I know you do too."

Kazehana rested her chin against the edge of the bathtub, her head turning to look at Yukari, giving the young girl a beautiful picture of her body.

"Is there anything I can do to make you to like me? As much as you like your onii-san? It's sad to be seen as an enemy by your love's family." the woman sighed, slumping forward, pressing her generous breasts into the edge.

"You can let me touch your body too-" Yukari blurted out before the girl could realize what she was saying. "NO! I mean- I was- BUH!"

Yukari found herself suddenly pulled towards the woman, her face buried between the massive mounds. Her first impression was how soft and bouncy they were. Not to mention the wet, sticking feeling when Yukari rubbed her cheeks against them… She finally found the meaning of heaven.

"I don't mind. We are not strangers." She smiled like Bodhisattva, a very sexy one. "Just don't touch and tell, ne?"

At that moment, something awakened inside the high school girl…

Yukari was in love with Kazehana's body.

She understood why Minato fell in love with her then.

Who the hell wouldn't?

* * *

"Achoo! My, I seem to have caught a cold!" the white haired man exclaimed. "Takami-kun! I'm sick!"

"Get yourself to the medical ward then! I'm busy here!"

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	4. Notice - Story Update Delayed

I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I should have tell you guys this sooner but I am too busy and thought I could make the release somehow... BUT I CAN'T.

The thing is I'm currently involve in a game project as its writer. You can check the project page here: _https()/www()pa(t)reon()com/darknessinside/_

Because of that all I can think about is the storyline, the characters and the world setting for the game project. We are very near the pre-alpha release date which is one or two weeks from now.

Before that I can't spare any mind for the Sekirei fanfiction. If things go well after the pre-alpha release, I will go back to finish Sekirei fanfiction chapter 03.

The release will be available to public, check it out if you're interests in the game or my writing personally. Do follow us on Pa(t)reon for future updates and feedback.

In the meantime, I ask for your patience and forgiveness for making you wait like this.

\- from Writer.


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